The Divine Comedy
by Karen
Summary: Set soon after the events of the movie; An old nemesis of the Elric brothers has returned to settle the score from Amestris while accomplishing her goals in our world, and she has brought back someone unexpected to use against them...
1. Prologue

The Divine Comedy

A fan fiction inspired by the _"Full Metal Alchemist"_ movie

By Karen, Storm, GirlyAnimeGirl, Janey-Rei of Light and KakashiXIruka21

Prologue

(Munich, Germany. November 11, 1923)

Several days after the funeral, she was making her way silently through the churchyard, looking for that one particular headstone.

She had to smirk to herself at the way things were falling into place for her. Not only had she been able to escape the ravenous attacks of Gluttony back in Amestris, but she had managed to send herself through The Gate and put her own soul and her latest body back together again on the other side.

It had been all to easy to dispose of and assume the identity of that silly actress at UFA Studios, working for the man who was the obvious counterpart of Pride no less! She had had to pretend to walk away in a huff when she had crossed paths with Edward Elric again, because she could scarcely contain her laughter when he didn't completely recognize her, taking her for her foolish counterpart!

It had been an unfortunate setback losing Envy, that much was true, but at the very least the homunculus who was once her son had disposed of her former lover, Hohenheim, for her before he could try to get in her way again. Not only that, but Edward Elric had unknowingly showed her he knew the correct way to open the porthole between the worlds, something her incompetent minions like Dietrich and his cousin Deitlinde Eckhart in the Thule Society had been unable to do.

Since she had arrived, she had done everything in her power to prolong the first war in this world, and, sure enough, those whose lives had been destroyed, those who had nothing left to lose, had come flocking, ready to throw away their lives, and the lives of their fellow human beings, to create the Philosophers Stone and the incomplete red stones. Apparently, it was a legend in this world as well. Humankind was so predictable.

Now, with another great war approaching, which promised to be even more lethal and destructive then the first, there was every opportunity to create a larger and even more powerful Philosophers Stone, to ensure her immortality on both sides of The Gate! After all, as she had told the eldest son of Hohenheim, she was worth it. She must live on and sacrifice a small portion of humanity to save _both_ worlds from their sins!

However, first thing's first, which was why she was at this cemetery tonight…

Finally, she reached the gravestone she had been searching for… It was surrounded by white roses, lilies, and other flowers… Propped up against the grave was a framed photograph… the sweet, heart shaped face of a young man no more then seventeen or eighteen years of age smiled out from the picture…  
It made sense, she thought with a scoff; the elder son so greatly resembled his father, so it made sense the younger son, and his now dead counterpart here, would resemble _that woman_, Trisha…

Placing her lantern down on the cold ground, she took the chalk from her pocket to start drawing the necessary array that would create her latest servant. It really was a bother that alchemy was more difficult to use in this world, but now, thanks to all of her studying and experimenting, she knew it was possible and she knew just how to make it work…

In moments the array was finished and ready to activate. Now came the interesting part; From what she had discovered, Alchemy could not be performed by ordinary humans from this world, but the blood of an Amestrian, an Amestrian who had seen and been through The Gate, could be used to activate a transmutation circle. Without so much as batting an eyelash, she bit her finger and placed it, bleeding steadilly, on the array. As she had expected, the circle began to glow brightly with alchemic energy.

Experience had shown that it was easier to use an original body rather then gather the many contents, and the end result would have fewer weaknesses, but there was still one more necessary ingredient…

"Hey, _Fräulein!_ What are you doing here so late at night? This cemetery's closed until morning."

The usual night watchman for the churchyard was usually making his last rounds about now. She smiled. This was to perfect!

Almost before he knew what was happening, the poor night watchman was seized and quickly thrown into the now brilliantly shining circle she had drawn around the gravestone, which grew even brighter with the power coming from the appearing gate… The doors creaked open, revealing hundreds of glaring eyes surrounding a particularly larger one… It was a scene she was almost to familiar with by now to be even the slightest bit nervous around.

The terrified night watchman tried to run from The Gate and out of the circle, but long black tendrils from beyond the doors reached out and grabbed him… He had barely enough time to scream before he was dragged into the darkness, The Gates doors shutting behind him…

Once The Gate had disappeared, she was pleased to see her latest "sacrifice" had been repaid as expected. The Earth around the gravestone had parted and risen, bringing up a wooden coffin to the surface...

She calmly opened the coffin and found exactly what she had expected. Human transmutation on the dead never produced the desired results, but it was enough for her to work with.

The grotesque combination of outer and inner organs writhed about in place of where the deceased had once been.

"You poor thing," she crooned to it. "Someone has made you into something horrible here and abandoned you. Let me help."

Thankfully, since arriving on the other side of The Gate, she had been able to make the sufficient quantity of red stones to create and empower a new homunculus, a new inhuman servant… Smiling, she drew the stones out of her coat pocket and fed it to the abomination…

"Here you go, eat this."

The creature opened his mouth and gleefully ate the stones, choked, and fell to the ground.

"Oh, no, not yet," Dante said as she drew another handful of red stones from her pocket.

Only a few more mouthfuls and this creature would begin to take the form of the human it was meant to replace. After over four hundred years this was as familiar a scene to her as The Gate.

"Here, you must have some more."

What better weapon to use against the sons of Hohenheim? Neither would have the heart to fight against it.

It stood slowly and calmly, looking back at her with the eyes of Alfons Heiderich. Once full of warmth, he now looked coldly at his new master. Something about him looked confused.

The new homunculus was nearly completely formed now, very much resembling the boy in the picture by the gravestone. The clothes it had originally been buried in were now rags and shreds, so she knelt down and almost tenderly placed her coat around him. It had never been difficult to win these creatures over to her side once they were formed. Even the one created from the transmutation of Trisha Elric had served her obediently.

"Tell me," she asked her new would-be minion. "How much can you remember?"

The homunculus frowned. It tried so hard to think. It thought it could see something in its fractured mind, but dismissed it.

"I..." He began. He stopped, as if painfully confused. "Nothing." It stated. "Nothing at all..."

Dante smiled to herself. The look on the new homunculus's face told her he _had_ remembered _something_, but what he'd seen had confused him. This had happened with the others as well.

"Think back carefully," she said. "Does the name Edward Elric mean anything to you?"

He gasped.

"Well, I... I don't know. It sounds strange... kind of familiar. I don't know." He closed his eyes, not wanting to belong in the situation he was in. He tried to shut himself out of this place.

"Who am I? Where am I? What... am I...??" He said almost to himself. "And... who are you??!"

"My name is Dante," she answered in a calming tone. "This is Munich, Germany, your home city. As for who and what you are, I regret to say that you are a homunculus, a soulless artificially created human."

As she spoke she reached for the picture that had been propped up against the grave and handed it to him.

"This is the person you used to be."

The Homunculus barely understood. He just looked at the picture. It was almost exactly like him.

"But what do you mean...?" He asked shyly. "Soulless... what does that mean?"

"Simple," Dante replied. She knew he was this close to taking the bait now. "Humans have souls, feelings, that's what makes them human. Homunculus, artificially created humans, however have none of these, in spite of their few memories. Would you like to know what happened to make you this way?"

"Okay..." He said glumly. If he had any one feeling it had to be a pretty negative one.

"I could tell that the name Edward Elric struck something with you, even though you denied it," Dante began, "as well it should. He was the reason you died, the reason you are in this state now, I'm afraid."

"What happened?" He asked.

Dante placed a hand on his shoulder. "Try to remember," she urged. It would be easier to use this against Edward if the new homunculus remembered for himself, rather then her having to tell him everything.

He tried, and saw several images from his former life. He began to think he might have been friends with this Edward.

"That's right," Dante encouraged him. She could tell he was remembering more.

The more he tried to remember himself, the more he began to miss Edward Elric. Eventually he gave up and sighed.

That sigh told her he had given up, but never mind. More would come back to him soon enough. In the meantime...

"You remember that Edward was your best friend, correct?" she asked.

He hadn't quite gotten that far, but he nodded.

"Or should I say, you were his best friend," Dante continued. "You befriended him at Dr. Oberths', where you both came to study rocketry, even though most of the others wrote him off as eccentric because of his stories about another world where alchemy eclipsed chemistry and physics."

"I think I see now..." He nodded, trying to understand. It did feel familiar to him.

"It was because of your passion for rocketry, and your dream of proving the scientific worth of your country, that you became gravely ill," she said in her most sympathetic voice. "It was a fatal lung disease brought on by prolonged exposure to the fuel and fumes. Do you remember the constant bouts of coughing? The blood?"

"Hmm..." He hesitated. "I think so... but... if that's who I was, then what do I do about it now?"

Now she had the bite, so it was about time to reel the catch in. She smiled her kindest and most warmest smile.

"Once I finish telling you the whole story, you will know and understand," she said, "but first, since you have nowhere else to go, I suggest coming with me to my mansion. You will need better clothes and there will be more of these red stones for you to eat."

"Alright." He obeyed. He felt like asking whether he would be able to see this Edward Elric again, but left it for another time…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dante adjusted her coat around her latest creations' shoulders then helped him to his feet and began leading him out of the cemetery on the way towards her mansion. She had obtained it from her late counterpart, and thankfully neither Lang nor anybody else had been the wiser. It was an even more spacious and luxurious dwelling then her home back in Amestris; just right for creating new homunculus minions.

The boy remained silent, trying to take in all that he had experienced and thought about his future. He thought to himself that if what she had said was true, then he desperately wished he were still alive and living that life.

They soon arrived at the mansion, which was not much more, then a five-minute walk from the country cemetery. Once inside, Dante gave her new homunculus a pile of clothing, trousers, shirt, waistcoat and jacket all in black aside from the shirt, and guided him to one of the many comfortably furnished rooms.

"This is where you will stay while you are here," she said. "Put these on, then you may come downstairs and I will tell you the rest, all right?"  
As if he had a choice now!

He nodded. He had no option but co-operate with her and see what happens. He brought the clothes into a wide room, with mostly blank walls, a bed, a small table and a window with curtains drawn.

Dante prepared a nice table in the sitting room with a pot of tea and cups, along with some more red stones. A little more and her new homunculus would regain more memories as well as discover his own powers. Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Sloth, Greed, all of them had had their own personal ability and their oroburos seal had been in a different place on each of them, marking them as their creators sin. Which sin would this new one be, she thought as she elegantly took a sip from her cup.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ed and Al were were still trying to find information about the uranium bomb. As they were walking along together in the town, Al looked at Ed and said, "Brother, how are we going to find more information on the uranium bomb?"

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his bangs in frustration. "I have no idea," he mumbled. "We don't know much about what this uranium bomb is, and anything with the word 'bomb' involved is going to sound suspicious to just ask someone about...It's kind of a sticky situation. But there's got to be something...If we were back in Central, I could just go to the library and do some research," he groaned.

Al started pondering with Ed about what they were going to do to find out more information about the uranium bomb. Al was acting all serious about the situation trying to figure out ways they could find out more. He then looked at Ed and asked, "Don't you know anybody here? Maybe they know where a library is. Then we can go there to do some research." Al then smiled.

******

Marta Nachash had heard of Alfons Heiderichs death, but could not bring herself to go to the funeral. Firstly, the rest of the research team would probably be there and it would be uncomfortable since the last words she'd exchanged with Alfons and them were spoken in anger just before she quit. Secondly, after the events of November eighth, she wasn't sure if anyone Jewish would be welcome there. The national socialist workers party would blame her, and anyone who disagreed with them for that matter, for the common cold if they could. However, maybe these were just convenient excuses, because to go would have been to acknowledge his death, and she doubted she was ready for that just yet.

As she made her way out of the Munich University grounds, she caught sight of a familiar figure... The same brown trench coat and blonde hair tied back. It was Edward Elric! She hadn't seen him nor the rest of the team since she had quit, and who was that beside him?... For a moment she could have sworn she saw Alfons's ghost... but no, this boy's hair was a darker ash blonde, almost brown...

She could hear them talking about something that sounded important, and rather then call out and make herself known, she decided to follow from a distance out of curiosity...

******

Edward frowned in thought. "Well...I do remember Dad mentioning this group of scientists that were working on some chemical weapons. But the problem is, I don't remember if they were a part of the Thule Society or not," he said. He had explained to Alphonse everything that had happened, shortly after he had come back over to this side of the Gate. "If that's the case, then there's a chance that they may already have their hands on the bomb. And it makes it even trickier about getting information. But there IS a library that I know of. It's kind of small, but it might have something," he shrugged, looking to his younger brother.

Alphonse listened to Edward's response and then whispered to himself, "The Thule Society..." he then stopped in his tracks and paused. He looked back at Ed with determined eyes. "Why don't we look up the Thule Society brother? There has to be information on them in the library." Al was hoping Ed would agree with his idea. "Maybe it will show us something about the scientist who are in the society." Al paused again then smiled, "Let's go to that library you know of." Al continued to walk.

From where she was nearby, Marta could just make out what the boy who looked like Alfons had said, _"Thule Society"_... That had been the group Alfonses sponsors, Chairman Eckhart, General Haushofer and Lieutenant Hess, were rumoured to be a part of...

_"Don't tell me Edward and this Alfons look-alike are involved in it now too,"_ she thought with a worried frown...

******

Edward stared at Al blankly for a moment, then grinned. "That's a pretty good idea, actually. It'll give us some foundation in this, at least. Good thinkin'," he smiled, reminded again just how lonely it had felt sometimes without his little brother with him. He felt a pang of sadness as, for a moment, he saw Alfons standing there instead of his brother, before quickly remembering that he was dead now.

Alphonse was in bliss when Edward told him it was a good idea he had. Al felt like he was needed by his brother, but then he saw Ed in sorrow for a moment. Al then frowned. As he put his hand on Ed's shoulder he said, "Brother...what's wrong? Are you ok?" Al was worried; he didn't like seeing his brother hurting of anything.

Ed hesitated, feeling embarrassed and angry with himself for showing that vulnerability. "I'm fine, Al," he said quietly. "I just...can't believe he's gone..."

He took his hand off Ed's shoulder. Alphonse then looked down at the ground and said, "I'm sorry that he's gone." He then looked back up at Ed. "Equivalent Exchange isn't it brother?" he said quietly with a tear. "You lost him." he paused, "but now you have me back..." Al didn't know what to think. He thought for a brief minute to himself that maybe Ed would rather have Alfons by his side rather then his own brother. He kept telling himself that it wasn't true. He reminded himself that Ed always cared for him...

Edward's eyes softened and he smiled sadly. "That's true," he said softly. This time, he was the one to rest a hand on Al's shoulder. "And I couldn't ask for more." He fell silent for a moment, unable to think of how to voice what he was thinking. Instead, he glanced around their surroundings. "The library's only another block or so away, I think," he said.

******

Marta saw them each rest a hand on the others shoulder. Could they be consoling each other for some reason?

Now that the police had arrested everyone they could who was involved in the uprising and the national socialist workers party, what was going on with Thule now, and what had these two to do with it?

Her throat tightened as she remembered hearing that Alfons had been shot at the factory that night, but there were no other details then that... Could Edward and this Alfons look-alike have had anything to do with his death? It was hard to picture that, seeing as how she remembered how close the two had been. At any rate, eccentric, anti-social Edward had always been more likely to open up to Alfons then anyone else on the research team...

******

Alphonse looked up at Ed with happiness in his eyes and said quietly; "Thank you brother, now let's head for that library." he smiled. He started to walk with Ed again. Al still couldn't believe how tall Ed has gotten. He decided maybe he should cheer things up on the way to the library. He laughed quietly, as they were walking and said, "It's funny seeing you taller than me. When I was in my armour, I was always the taller one, remember?" he laughed.

Edward chuckled, proud of the fact that he had grown. "Yeah, that was always a little awkward. Remember how people used to mix us up?" he laughed.

Al laughed, "Yeah, you used to get really mad whenever someone mixed us up. I don't think we'll ever get mixed up again now that I'm not in a suit of armour." he smiled then went on to ask a question he's been wanting to ask. "Were you shocked at all when you saw me for the first time not in a suit of armour?" he wondered, as they were getting closer to the library.

******

They were laughing at something now, but if she got any closer they would see her. Edward might recognize her and single her out, so Marta decided to leave while still unnoticed. Brushing a few stray bangs of ash blonde hair from her eyes, she turned and headed back the other way to where she remembered Edward and Alfons's apartment building was, just a few blocks back... She would wait and meet these two there in private...

******

"Well you'd get mad too if people always thought your younger brother was the older one," he said defensively. "Actually...when I first saw you in your real body...I was more relieved than anything," Ed smiled wryly. "I had thought that...well, for those couple of years, I didn't even know if the transmutation had worked, so for a long time, I didn't even know if you were alive...So seeing you there, as a human..." He grinned at his brother. "I thought I was dreaming until you actually talked. And then, all I could think was 'He's safe. It worked, and he's alive.' Kinda cheesy, huh?" he chuckled.

"It's not cheesy at all brother." They stopped in front of the library. Al tried hard to hold back his tears so his brother doesn't have to see how vulnerable he can be at times. He looked at Ed, "You don't know how happy I am to be back with you. Everyday was so hard for me back at home; all I could think about was getting you back. I knew you were alive somewhere." As his eyes started to water, he turned away so Ed couldn't see his face. "I...." he paused and barely quietly spoke these words. "I missed you a lot brother."

Edward smiled reassuringly, resting a hand on his shoulder again. "I know...And you did everything you could to find me. I'm really proud of you," he said softly, trying not to get choked up like he assumed Al was.

Alphonse wiped his tears with his hand, smiling at Edward. He then looked at the library. "This must be the library, let's start researching together." He smiled, "Just like old times."

Edward nodded determinedly, pushing the door open. Just like old times...that thought alone was deeply encouraging, filling him with zeal towards this small goal. It would be just like the old days, when they would crowd around a pile of books by lamplight, reading until dawn. "Like I said, it's small, but that also means it's quiet. Not many people come here," he smiled, walking in.

Alphonse walked in beside Edward, glanced around the library. "It is small, but that doesn't change anything, it's still a library that contains information" he smiled. "Where should we start?"

Edward looked over the shelves thoughtfully. "I'll check out this one, you look at that one," he said, pointing to two shelves near each other.

"Ok brother." He started by obtaining a couple of books that might contain information about the Thule Society, and then stacked them on the table. He sat down, quietly, as he was going through the first book....

* * *

_"And then, all I could think was 'He's safe. It worked, and he's alive.' Kinda cheesy, huh?"_

The boy opened his eyes. He had lost track of time for a second and his mind must have wandered off. He got up and headed out the door, down the steps to see the lady waiting for him.

Dante nodded in approval at the change in the new homunculus's appearance; certainly better then the filthy torn remains of the clothes he had been buried in. Though austere due to the majority of black, the clothes would help him pass as an ordinary human in public.

"Welcome to my sitting room," she greeted him cordially. "As I said before, my name is Dante, but I must ask you to call me Miss Lyra as everyone else does." The she gestured to the table and chair where the tea and red stones waited. "Please, have a seat."

"Yes, Miss Lyra." He nodded. He was beginning to think about his very short daydream and what it could have meant. There was something about it which seemed almost strange. He had simply heard a few powerful words enter his head at random shortly after he began to get dressed. But who had said it, and why?

"Have some more of the red stones," Dante suggested. "You are nearly perfectly formed now, and I can tell from the look on your face you have had another troubling memory."

"No, it's not that." He said, taking a few stones. "I thought I saw something else. I heard a few words, something like, 'he's safe, it worked and he's alive." He said. "And something about it being cheesy." He bit on his stones.

Dante smiled thoughtfully. "I see." Could it be that this homunculus had somehow sensed his connection with his former self's Amestrian counterpart? Interesting.  
"Very well, then," she continued, "would you like to hear more about what happened to you now, and about Edward Elric?"

"Yes." He nodded, eating another stone.

_"Not many people come here..."_ he heard suddenly, wincing for half a second. To anyone else it would have simply looked like he had a small headache.

Dante calmly sipped her tea. She could sense it; this new creature was beginning to develop whatever abilities he would possess as a homunculus. She wondered which of the sins this one would be...

"This may be difficult for you to understand," she began, "but bear with me; I told you that the human you once were was a friend to Edward, did I not?"

He nodded, remaining silent.

"Well, I'm sorry to say it was a rather one-sided friendship," Dante continued. "Like Edward and his younger brother, I too am from the same place as them, so I know this; the human you once were befriended Edward when you studied rocketry in Romania. Once back in Munich, Edwards father left him without so much as a goodbye or a clue to his whereabouts. That was when you offered to let him use the spare room in your own apartment. He accepted, but for only one reason."

"W-what was that?" He asked, nervous.

She was certain that she had him now. It wouldn't take much more to win this creature over to her side as a formidable weapon against Hohenheims children!

"Because he was missing his home and his own brother," she explained. "You looked very much like him, you even shared his name. That is why Edward accepted your friendship. In his loneliness, he was trying to create something of a replacement. There were times when he even doubted you were little more then a figment of his imagination."

He almost gasped, slightly confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in a kindly and sympathetic tone that had won so many homunculi over to her side in the past. "I can see this may be upsetting. Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Okay." He agreed, not wanting to be left wondering what had happened, but not sure if he wanted to know.

"People like Edward, his father, his brother, even me, we are alchemists. Edward and his brother believe alchemy and the world have only one truth and that is the law of equivalent exchange." Here she paused; a naive theory meant to comfort the oppressed and make children do their lessons, but this lie would serve her well in recruiting her new minion. "It was because of this that your former self was killed, exchanged for Edwards _true_ brother, whom he viewed as the real thing."

"He... killed me?" He asked. "How?"

Dante shook her head. "That I do not know," she lied. She had learned enough from Haushofer of what had happened at the factory during the uprising to know this creatures former self had been shot by Hess after helping Edward escape, but to reveal that might make things more difficult. "I do know, however, that for him it was all to easy to sacrifice what he saw as an expendable copy in order to have the real thing back. I am very sorry to be the one to tell you this."

"This Edward... you say he believes in Alchemy... how is that possible? Didn't it die out a long time ago? It's not like you can magically make something transform into something else."

"That is true," Dante smiled, "modern science, chemistry and physics eclipsed alchemy long ago in _this_ world."

"_This_ world...?" He asked, now frightened. "What do you mean?"

At this, Dante laughed warmly and patted the creatures' hand reassuringly.

"No reason to be alarmed," she said, "it's a long and rather complicated story, but I will say that people like Edward, his father and brother and I are not from this world. We come from a different one where alchemy is made more use of then the steam engine. It's still possible to work alchemy here, but somewhat different and more complicated. In fact, that is why you are a homunculus now."

The Homunculus thought for a moment.

"Is it possible to learn this power?" He asked slowly.

Dante smiled at the newest puppet on her little stage.

"For a homunculus, no, but each and every homunculus is created with its own power and has the oroburos seal to mark it." She reached out and gently touched under his left eye.

"Look in that mirror there."

The Homunculus looked into the mirror and saw his own form staring back at him: medium height with blonde hair and boyish looks. He looked at the skin under his left eye and saw a symbol underneath, exactly where Dante had touched. It was dark purple and represented a snake or dragon eating its own tail in a loop. A triangle symbol was inside the loop.

"That is the seal of the oroburos that marks each homunculus," Dante explained. "It is because of what Edward did to you in order to get his own brother back that you were created, and why you have that seal."

"I see..." He replied. "And where are these brothers now?" He asked, not caring to leave what he planned to do under any discretion.

Perfect! But first things first!

"Do you wish revenge on them?" she asked. "If so, I can promise you will have your chance, enjoy it and celebrate it, but first I need the sons of Hohenheim for something myself."

"What is that?" He asked, happy as long as he could get the man who had supposedly killed him.

Dante rested her hands elegantly on the table.

"Have you ever heard of the philosophers stone? Even in this world it is a legend. For an alchemist like me, it would increase power tenfold and bypass the laws of equivalent exchange. Not only that," he voice was now dripping with temptation, "but it can turn a homunculus into a human."

He knew what she was getting onto now, she would find a way to get it and make him human again. But he had to serve her against Edward Elric. He felt slightly manipulated but his conscience was ignored for now.

"I need the sons of Hohenheim to create the stone for me," Dante said, "then you can have your revenge of the traitor who sacrificed you for his own happiness, and after that I can use it to make you human." She then extended her hand for the bargain. "Do we have an understanding... Despair?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alphonse slowly raised his head from the book he was reading, and gazed at his brother for a moment. He still couldn't believe how fortunate he was that he was sitting across from his own brother in flesh. At times, it felt unreal to him, like a dream. He was overwhelmed with bliss that they were together again. He then looked down at his book, continuing to study very determinately to find out about the Thule Society. "I'm half way through this book, and still nothing." he said quietly, "How's your progress going?"

"Not much better, actually," Edward admitted with a sigh. "This may take longer than I thought..." He shrugged off the disappointment, though, and turned the page. "But there's gotta be something in here somewhere, even something vague. There's no way a library, no matter how small, can have all these books and not have a single thing on the Thule Society..."

Alphonse sighed, "There has to be information in one of these books about the Thule Society, I know we'll find it brother. We just gotta keep reading until we do." Opening another book, acting _very_ assertive they'll find it.

Edward nodded in agreement, unable to restrain the grin that spread across his face. It just felt so surreal to be able to do this again. He looked back down at his book, skimming through a few more pages. "Yeah. Like I said, even something vague. A hint is better than nothing."

Alphonse turned page after page, having no luck retrieving any information. He was devoted to find out. He would stay there as long as it took. "Brother, this isn't so bad. I actually enjoy this time studying together with you," he smiled.

Ed chuckled. "Yeah, I've missed being able to do this. It's kind of lonely doing research alone. It's great to have you back, Al." He wasn't always the best at wording how he felt, but he was pretty sure his brother was used to that after so long. Even during their two years apart, he hadn't improved on that front. If anything, he'd gotten worse, in his opinion.

Alphonse's eyes softened with glee, "It's great to have _you_ back," he exalted. "I can see you haven't changed at all," he tilted his head and smiled. "I was hoping you would be the same ol' brother, just like I knew from back at home," Al paused, "and you are." Al turned to the next page of the book he was reading.

Edward flashed his usual grin at that, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah well, old habits die hard, I guess," he said, closing the first book and pulling down another. Hopefully there would at least be something...

***

"Yes, of course." The homunculus nodded. "I'll help you." He shook her hand.

It was almost so easy she might almost have felt sorry for him!

"Very well then," Dante replied, elegantly shaking the homunculus's hand and then releasing it. "Now, to start, I have a theory that you may share an almost empathetic bond with the youngest of the two brothers, if homunculus can indeed be capable of empathy, the one who once shared your name and your face before the transmutation. I would like you to try learning where he is now from right here, Despair."

"Just one question." He said. "Why is my name Despair now?"

"A fair question," Dante nodded. "You see, there were seven homunculus before you who were each turned into humans with the remaining Philosophers Stone last time," she lied. "Envy, Greed, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath and Sloth, all named after the seven deadly sins. "Despair was supposed to be the final and eighth deadly sin, but it was left out. So, from this day foreword, until you too become human, you are Despair."

"I see..." He said. Although he didn't realise it, it fit well with him.

"That's good," Dante nodded in approval. "Now, I believe it is time to put whatever power you may have received to the test. Try to find where the youngest of the Elric brothers is through yourself from here. Where he is, the elder can be sure to follow."

He looked confused but closed his eyes thinking he might know what she meant. He was right, and began to see someone who looked somewhat like him and another person in a place full of books.

"It looks... like a library..." He said softly.

Dante smiled and nodded. She was right. This new homunculus's power was an empathetic connection to his living self's Amestrian counterpart. This meant that there was no hiding from her!

"The Elric brothers are together there, aren't they?" she said. "They were always so devoted to each other that they would sacrifice anything and anyone to be together. I'm sure Edward is very happy and doesn't regret the exchange at all."

"I guess he is." Despair nodded glumly. "Wait, I think I can hear something else." He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"_...There's no way a library, no matter how small, can have all these books and not have a single thing on the Thule Society..._" He repeated.

"They are right," Dante said, "though even the average student knows what Thule is and what it stands for, a typical library wouldn't have anything on the Thule Society, only our members and key figures do." Then she smirked. "Despair, I know you are still new to all of this, but I believe I have a task for you."

Despair looked up, ready to do whatever she asked.

This is what she liked to see, a homunculus who did exactly as he was told. Dante still couldn't get over how furious she had been when Alphonse Elric had used up the last of the previous stone in Amestris. Thankfully, his homunculus counterpart was more obedient.

"Knowing the Elrics, those two are probably looking for a way to both close the porthole between the two worlds and track down the uranium bomb from my world which is now in the hands of Thules best scientists. Your task is to lure them back to Thule by planting any leads you can for them to follow. Once they are here and I convince them to make the stone for me, you may have both your revenge and your humanity."

"I see." He nodded. "How can I go about that?"

Dante got up from her chair and made her way to a small bookshelf nearby. She pulled one out and handed it to Despair.

"These are notes written by Thules scientific team who found and researched the uranium bomb. In the back there is a photograph of the team which I obtained from Fritz Lang."

Yes, Lang really should be more careful about where he left his things.

"Okay. How will this help?"

Dante mentally shook her head. Like newborn children these homunculus. You had to spell everything out for them.

"Leave this where you can be sure Edward and Alphonse will find it. The writings and the photo of those involved in studying the bomb will give them several leads to follow, each bringing them closer to Thule."

"Right!" He nodded. "All we need to do is locate the library they are at. I think I can do it with my ability, like you said."

Now he was getting it.

"You say you saw them at this library. Try the closest one to the apartment block where you once lived," Dante said. "You don't need to remember where that is, because one of our former party members gave us the address."

Here she handed him a slip of paper with the address on it.

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." He nodded again. He was feeling more anxious to be going out and doing something.

"Good," Dante nodded back. "If you absolutely must, let them see you, but tell them as little as possible or they may realize they are being baited. Now, I know you are anxious, so you may leave and start now."

"Don't worry, I don't think I will let them see me. Yet." Despair added, taking his "evidence" and walking off.

He'd placed an emphasis on the word *yet*. Dante smirked to herself as she watched him leave. If she had thought Sloth would be difficult for the brothers to face, this new homunculus, Despair, would be nearly impossible!

Despair walked out of the large building, and took a look behind him to note just how big it was. He looked on down the pathway leading from it, and started to walk into the night, his mind on his new life and new uncertain future. All he wanted was revenge against Edward, but was he sure he really wanted to be obsessed with something like that? Something tugged at his conscience but he continued to ignore it choosing the only certain path he knew of.

***

As the night came, Alphonse started to show a small amount of weariness. Dark circles started appearing under his eyes, but that didn't stop him in any way. He put his hand on the side of his head and continued to read page after page without stopping....

Edward was starting to feel drained as well, sometimes having to re-read sentences just to absorb them. He yawned and shook his head. Now he really felt like it had been a long time since they'd been together; he hadn't pulled an all-nighter for quite awhile. Ed glanced at his brother, wondering if it was just him that was tired. A small smile crossed his face as he saw that, despite his tiredness, Alphonse was just as diligent as before. "Maybe we should call it quits for the night," Edward said casually. "We can always come back in the morning."

He looked at Edward, then yawned. "I guess we should, but we will come back here soon after we wake up, right?". Al wanted to study more, but he realized that his brother was tired also. He decided to close the book he was reading, and get up from his chair. You could tell deep down inside, which his brother probably cognized, he truly wanted to rest. Al placed his hands in his pockets, while waiting for Ed to lead the way home.

"Definitely," Edward agreed. Even if he hadn't been a book-addict, the topic was just too interesting to pass up the opportunity. Ed got up as well, re-stacking the books he'd gotten out. "I think it'll be alright to just leave our books here. Like I said, barely anyone comes in," he said, stretching his arms over his head before heading out. "Good thing home's close to here."

"Yeah, good thing home is close to here." Alphonse slightly smiled. He opened the door leading to outside, and started to walk beside Edward. "It's so quiet out here brother, it's nice," he said.

***

Little did he know, Alphonse's double was on his way. Using his ability to sense what the other was up to, he could tell that Al was tired, and planned to use this to his advantage. When morning came, the photo would be there, and it would only be a matter of time before the Elrics were lured into Dante's trap.

Despair had almost seen another woman near the apartment as he walked towards the library. He disregarded it as she disregarded him. He kept to the shadows. Secretly he was wondering if he could really do this. Was it right to seek revenge? He kept on going, walking quietly towards the old building where he sensed Alphonse's presence. He also knew Edward would be in there, and didn't want to be seen by him so early in his and Dante's plans.

"It's so quiet out here brother, it's nice,"

This was the first thing Despair heard as he watched from nearby. The boys voice was different to his but he looked at his facial features and they looked a lot like his. He nearly gasped and held his breath, feeling lucky he hadn't given himself away. He began to feel something raging inside him. It was making him mad at the boy who Edward clearly wanted more than him. He didn't know how much he felt jealous. But instead of making him angry and bitter like Envy, this Homunculus instead went straight onto feelings of depression.

Despair watched them go and then (quietly) leaped into action. He entered the library where they had been looking through those books, and saw the mess they had made. He took out his photo and left it somewhere slightly hidden but deadly obvious. He positioned it so Alphonse would find it first. That way he could see what goes on.

Unfortunately, he made the mistake of turning his heels to leave too quickly, leaving a mark on the floor. But it was hard to notice.

Despair was getting increasingly curious about these Elrics. He decided to see if he could follow them. But remembering the other lady who may have had the same idea put him off. He headed back to Dante's place.

***

On her way to the apartment she knew Ed had stayed in with Alfons, and was now probably living with this lookalike, Marta thought she saw a dark figure hurrying across the street and into the approaching night shadows. It startled her, but she shrugged it off. It was probably just someone who'd been kept at work overtime and was rushing back home before it got any later.

It hadn't been much trouble to get into Eds apartment, as Fraulein Gracia had known Marta from when she was a part of the research team. She decided against asking the flower shopkeeper any questions, as she was sure Edward would not have told her anything. Aside from his constant story telling, she remembered Edward as being somewhat secretive and almost mysterious.

She then sat herself down on one of the chairs by the table with a sad sigh, remembering how often she had come to see Alfons and Edward before she quit the team and they would greet her seated at the table just like this.

Marta rose and looked out of the apartment window... After a moment she could see two figures making their way down the street... Edward and 'not Alfons' were now only a minute or so away from the apartment...

She clenched her hands determinedly. The media was no help. They had only told of the failed uprising and nothing of Thule or its members. There was no way Alfonses death could have been just an accident that night, or due to his sickness; something he'd only admitted to her about, and that was when she'd found out by accident. One way or another, she was going to get the truth out of those two about what happened that night at Haushofers' mansion.

***

Edward nodded, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "Yeah, it's one of the advantages to being out here. Once it's dark, it actually gets quiet. Back at Central, it was hustle and bustle all night long. At least here, you can relax more." When they got to the apartment, he paused for a moment, thinking again for a second that Alfons was with him again. But he quickly dismissed it before he could feel sad about it again, not wanting to worry Al twice in one night. He twisted the doorknob and pulled the door back, stepping aside so Al could go ahead first.

Alphonse walked in to the apartment slowly. He stretched his arms and yawned, then rubbed his eye with his left hand. "All of that studying made the day go by fast, didn't it," he said tiredly, "Well, I'm going to get ready for bed now."

***

Marta had been standing in the shadows, so the younger of the boys, 'not Alfons', did not notice her as he came in...

Then, she saw Edward enter the apartment after him...

***

"Heh, all right, Al," Edward smiled faintly, hanging up his coat on the rack. He turned around and yawned a bit again. He could have sworn it was addictive. Once you let loose the first yawn, your body just kept on yawning. He froze and blinked, however, when he saw the faint outline of someone, illuminated on the arm by moonlight from the window. "Who's there?" he asked cautiously.

Now that he had obviously seen her, Marta took a step foreword into the light. "Hello, Edward," she greeted him quietly. I haven't seen you since I quit the research team."

She remembered how Edward would tell her she looked like someone else he'd known once, another Marta from 'his world' as he called it. She wondered if he'd changed at all since she'd seen him last…


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ed's eyes widened slightly. "Marta?" As the shock faded, his eyes softened a bit and he smiled. "You haven't changed a bit. But, you could have just waited for me to get home, couldn't ya?" he teased, having no idea of the true reason why she was there.

"Home? And where would that be, Ed?" she answered. "Unless I'm wrong, your home is some kind of parallel world where all you have to do is clap your hands together and you can create anything you want." Then she sighed and shook her head. "I came back from Austria to see you after I heard the rumours about what happened to Alfons the night of the uprising."

And thank God it had failed, she mentally added; otherwise who knows how much longer she and her family would be safe in Bavaria or Austria?

His eyes hardened for a moment as she mentioned his true home. However, he relaxed again when she spoke of the uprising and Alfons. Ed sighed heavily and sat down at the table, looking at her calmly. "What rumours?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. Was he being truthful or just playing innocent?

"I quit the team when you guys accepted Haushofer and Hesses offer of sponsorship. I know they were key figures to both the Thule society and that damned National Socialist Workers Party. Then there's an attempted coup on the government and Alfons dies the same night? What happened Ed?" she demanded, placing her hand firmly on the table. "Did you and the team have anything to do with this? Were you involved?"

Edward met her gaze squarely, trying not to let his emotions show through too much.

"I barely know anything," he said slowly, managing to keep his voice level for the time being. "Alfons...he let me use the rocket...so that I could get back to my own world. And yes, I'm telling the truth. I was really there," he added sharply, not wanting accusations of eccentricity interrupting him. "That boy you saw with me is my brother, Alphonse Elric. Anyways, to make a long story short, I didn't even know Alfons was...dead," he choked on the word and shook it off. Stop doing that, he scolded himself. But he still couldn't believe it. Alfons could never replace the warmth of true brotherhood, but it felt like losing a brother all the same. "I didn't know he was dead until I came back...Noa was cradling him, and he had a bullet wound to the stomach...He was already gone when I got there...I don't know if any of the other members of the team were involved or not, but I know I sure as hell wasn't," he growled, regretting immediately how angry he sounded. "Sorry," he muttered. "I always reacted badly to accusations. Alphonse and I are actually doing a little research on the Thule Society," he admitted. He was sure he could trust his old friend to keep the secret. Marta had never been one to rat people out, from what he remembered.

Marta sat down on the other chair, wanting to cry from both grief at the details of Alfonses death and relief that her old friend hadn't been involved in neither the Nazi parties uprising or whatever the Thule society had been planning with the teams rockets. Edward may have been eccentric (Did he really expect her to take all that _shmontses_ about her, Loa, Bido and Dorchet being half animals in some other world seriously?) but he _wasn't_ a liar.

"I see..." she answered, her face softening. "I believe you. I wouldn't put it past people like Eckhart, Haushofer and Hess to use the team like that and keep them in the dark about their true objectives..." Then she gazed in the direction she had seen the younger looking boy, whom Edward had called Alphonse Elric, go. "So that's the younger brother you always talked about... You were right, he really does look like Alfons..."

Edward visibly relaxed when she said she believed him, grateful that he wouldn't have to go into a lot of detail about everything that had happened. The things that Alfons had told him before launching the rocket, seeing Winry again...

"Eckhart actually tried to shoot me," he chuckled softly. It amused him now how lucky it was that she had shot his makeshift auto mail. "She got my prosthetic arm. Alfons said she always was a bad shot," he smiled sadly. "But yeah. That's my brother. And I did tell you that people from my home look like people from here," he pointed out, knowing that she probably still thought he was crazy for it.

Marta blinked and nodded. Yes, he had said that. _Oy!_ If it hadn't been for Edwards general levelheadedness and the sincerity and clarity in which he looked at people and spoke to them she would have long thought him to be delusional and insane instead of merely eccentric with a good imagination. And now that she had seen the brother Ed had always talked about, she had to admit she was starting to wonder if not everything he'd said about his 'home' was a made up story...

"Were you trying to stop them?" she wanted to know. "Is that why Eckhart shot at you and why you're researching Thule now?" How she would dearly love to get her hands on those occultist lunatics!

Edward nodded solemnly.

"Yeah. See...when I did get back to my home, the Gate was still open, and Eckhart and a bunch of other things from this world managed to get through. They were trying to start a war in my world...I told her it wasn't the perfect 'Shambala' she thought it was," he muttered bitterly. "She went psycho, saying that us alchemists were inhuman. But before that happened, my father sacrificed himself..." His jaw tensed. "Alchemy _is_ possible in this world...but it requires blood. My father let himself be killed so that I could get home. But in the end, Alphonse and I had to come back to this side. Al hid in a suit of armour and, well...when we came back, the first thing I saw was Alfons..." he trailed off for a moment. "But that's why we're researching it, yes. There's this thing we learned about called a uranium bomb. We're afraid that the Thule Society might get a hold of it. If they did, it would be a huge disaster, for both our worlds."

"I see..." Marta answered thoughtfully... As much as she doubted at least 99% of Edwards latest tall tale, she knew there was _allot_ of talk of the Nazi party and Thule trying to create weapons of mass destruction like this to start another war and _win_ it this time. Heaven help her people, heaven help the _world_ if they got their filthy hands on something like this and gained control!

She looked at her friend seriously.

"Tell me, what can I do to help?"

Edward thought for a moment.

"I don't suppose you have any connections with anyone that might know anything, right? If you don't, it'd be great if you could just help us research," he smiled. "There's a lot of books to go through."

"That I can and will," Marta agreed. "If Thule does have this kind of weapon, there must be some way to find out and locate the physicists involved. Have you looked at _Herr_ Professor Einstein's works yet? I know you said he sounded fishy and difficult to believe, but a man doesn't win the Nobel Prize in Physics for nothing. If any written works can help figure out and destroy a bomb like that, it would be those."

Alphonse started to toss and turn in his sleep; it was from the conversation between Edward and Marta. Slowly, he opened his eyes and started to wonder who Ed was conversing with. He walked out of his room and looked at Ed, clueless.

"Brother, what are you still doing awake?" Al looked at Marta and gasped, "Marta, what are you doing here?"

Marta blinked in amazement at the younger brother of Edward, who shared Alfons's name and face.

"You know me?" she asked in surprise.

Alphonse's eyes opened widely in shock, and he gasped again.

"I thought you....." then he remembered right then and there, what Edward had informed him about this side of the world. "On the other side of my world, I used to know a Marta who looked just like you. You are equivalent to her," he quietly said, with a sad tone to his voice.

"Ahh, that's right," Marta nodded, remembering Edwards stories, "Ed said that too. It was a pretty weird story." Then she gave him a sad smile. "Funny, I used to know an Alfons who looked allot like you."

Alphonse placed his right hand behind his head and smiled softly.

"My brother says he was a great guy. He also told me that Alfons reminded him of me." He then asked nicely, "So Marta, what are you doing here?" Inside, Al was _very_ happy to see her.

Edward's mood lifted a little bit as Al came down.

"Marta used to be a part of the research team, with me, Alfons, and the other guys. But she quit once Hess and Haushofer started sponsoring us. I haven't seen her since," he explained, a little excitement creeping into his voice. It was always good to see old friends again, especially people like Marta, because he could never be sure how they were faring. He glanced back at Marta and frowned slightly. "I dunno, I guess I should check out his work...I'll need all the help I can get, and no matter how fishy the stuff sounds, it might help us a lot," he admitted. He wasn't used to the theories of modern scientists here, so it was hard for him to adjust. Therefore, all of it sounded kind of weird to him.

"Is Marta going to assist us in our research then?" Alphonse asked Edward, with a hint of excitement to his voice. He missed Marta, and was glad he could meet her equivalent on this side. She was no different, from what Al remembered her to be on their side. He looked at Marta and smiled, "Marta, will you come help us?"

Marta had to smile back at the boy, the other Alphonse. True, he seemed a little younger, his voice had yet to break, his hair and eye color were different and his smile was more exuberant compared to Alfons's, but it was good to have some sort of reminder of her old friend.

"Sure," she said, "that's why I came to look Edward up after I heard about the uprising." There was nothing she would like better now then to help crush both Thule and the Nazi party, as well as get her hands on Alfonses killer if possible. "You two both look like you've had enough for one evening though."

Edward smiled wryly.

"It's been a while since I've pulled an all-nighter doing research. Takes its toll after a while, ya know?" He fell silent for a few moments, then looked at Marta more seriously. "How's your family doing?" he asked quietly.

"_Vati_ and _Mutti_ are fine," Marta answered with a nod, "no thanks to everything that's been going on lately. If that uprising had succeeded, there's no telling what would be happening by now." Then she swallowed awkwardly before adding, "I was sorry to hear about _Herr_ Professor Hohenheims death."

Edward's eyes dropped to the table and he sighed a bit. "Yeah...I don't think I'd have ever been able to figure out how he thinks, though...I mean, for most of my life, I never understood why he abandoned Al and I when we were so little. It always made our mother so sad that I decided that I'd never forgive him, and I just started hating him more and more. Once he actually explained everything to me, I thought I understood...but I never thought he'd let himself die so that I could see Alphonse again..." he said quietly, remembering Envy's jaws crunching into Hohenheim's body and the shower of blood that had left him so stunned that when Eckhart shot him, he didn't even flinch and merely fell forward. "It's surreal. I still keep expecting him to just pop in some day, saying that he had just left us again. I'd be mad, but it'd be better than him really being gone...Anyways, I'm glad that your parents are all right," he smiled faintly.

It was an odd thought, but she wondered if the "Marta" in the world Ed and Al had supposedly come from had had a family like hers. _Vati_ had fought for Germany in the Great War and thought this would give the family some protection. Neither of her parents wanted to leave Germany, even if there was another uprising and a second war, which was something she was constantly arguing about with them.

"Hohenheim was a good professor," she agreed, steering away from the subject of her own parents, "even Professor Huber liked him, and he usually doesn't approve of anyone connected with Haushofer. "I know how you feel though," she added, "when Alfons and the team accepted Hess as a sponsor, I was so furious with him I agreed to move back to Vienna with _Vati _and_ Mutti_! Even though I was the only one who knew he had less then two or so years left... Then when I came into your apartment I almost half-expected to see him sitting in this chair by the table and turning around to say 'Hey! Thanks for stopping by! How are the blueprints for the propulsion system coming?'... Made me feel guilty almost."

As Marta was conversing with Edward, he thought this. _"He died, just so Ed could see me again..."_ Al whispered to himself. Alphonse's mood changed after Marta brought up their father. He turned his head away, as he felt a sharp pain of sadness shoot through him. He thought to himself, that he didn't even get to see or even say, good-bye to his father. He managed to pull himself out of that sadness for a moment, he then looked up at Marta.

"Even though I knew him for a short amount of time, dad was a good guy, I just wish....." Al paused for a moment, but couldn't finish the sentence, as it was hard to speak the last words. So he changed the subject and asked, "Where are you staying Marta?"

Marta noticed the sadness in the other Alphonse's expression when the subject of Hohenheim was brought up, so she went along with the obvious change of subject.

"Actually," she admitted, "I just arrived back in Munich today. I had just finished attending Professor Hubers lecture when I saw you two on your way back from the library..."

Alphonse was glad the subject had changed. He didn't feel very comfortable talking about him at the moment, as he was still trying to get over the death of their father. Al looked at Marta.

"If you want, you could stay with us since we are all going to study together when morning comes," he said shyly, itching the back of his head.

At this offer, Marta brightened.

"Thank's! It sounds good," then she looked at Edward, "that is, if it's okay with the Full Metal "Champion of the People" Alchemist here," she teased with a grin.

Edward normally would have scowled in anger at being mocked for his "eccentricity", but he couldn't help but laugh a bit at it.

"It's fine by me. You can sleep in the room that Noa used to use. We'll probably be getting up pretty early. When it comes to research, wasting time isn't an option," he grinned. "You sure your parents won't mind then?" He knew it was silly to ask. If she had just gotten back today, she probably hadn't had much time to see her parents yet. It was just an old habit from when he was a kid, when their mother used to make sure that their friend's parents were okay with whatever it was they were doing.

Knowing her family, if Marta had told them she had left their safe, comfortable flat in Vienna to join up with old friends and help bring down the Thule Society, track down a nuclear weapon and snare Alfonses killer, they would probably place her under solitary confinement! She shrugged. "What they don't know can't hurt them." Then she rested her arms on the table. "Anyway, I've got to keep an eye on you two. I can understand how weird this must be, but try to deal with it."

Alphonse was very fortunate Edward let Marta stay the night. He gave his brother a smile, and that was his way of thanking him. He turned to Marta, "Thank you for accepting to stay with us," he said with a bit of excitement in his voice. "And don't worry about us Marta, now that me and my brother are together again, nothing can be stronger than us," he said proudly.

Ed's eyes softened for a moment at Alphonse's words, and then he smirked confidently. "He's got a point. As a team, we haven't been beaten yet," he grinned.

Marta nodded with a wary smile. This one really was allot like her own Alfons; same face, same wide eyes, same almost irritating optimism. Still, in spite of his own blind faith and his older brothers ego, there was no way they were leaving her out of this.

"I'm going to hold you to that then," she answered, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other, "and thanks for the room. By the way," she added, smiling and raising an eyebrow, "who's Noa? Don't tell me the lone wolf of our group has suddenly taken an interest in dating?"

Edward's cheeks flushed a bit at Marta's comment.

"Noa was this gypsy girl that Alfons and I gave shelter. We met her on the way to that carnival that happened a while back, getting a ride with her and some other gypsies. She had this odd thing where she could touch someone and see into their mind. But after Alfons died...she just kinda up and vanished on me. I do kinda wonder where she went to. If the Nazis found her..." He frowned and shook his head. "Either way, I didn't have an interest in her _that_ way," he said a bit defensively.

Marta raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a grin.

Just giving you a hard time, Ed," she assured him. Then her face grew serious. "You say she was Roma, hmm?" She had heard that was what the nomadic fortune tellers and palm readers called themselves, "that means she and I would be in the same boat; both at the top of those _shmoks_ hit list. Anyway, your brother's right, the sooner we get some rest the sooner we can get back to tracking down Thule's latest little toy."

As Alphonse was walking towards his room, he stopped at the door and looked back at both of them.

"Remember brother, were leaving right at dawn, so neither of you oversleep ok? Goodnight," he smiled softly at them and continued to walk in his room.

Well, it was getting later now, so if they didn't want to oversleep they'd better call it a night now.

"All right," Marta said with a yawn, getting up from the table, "we can take a hint. That's the spare room, is it? Thank's for the loan."

"Anytime, Marta," Edward smiled, getting up as well. "I'll see ya in the morning." And with that, he headed off to his room, yawning yet again. Darn those addictive yawns!

Alphonse spread his arms out and fell on his back on the bed. He was still in shock, but very overjoyed to see Marta's counterpart. He couldn't help but to think about the Marta he once knew back at home. All of a sudden, he had a flashback of Marta dying inside his armour; he then started to breath heavily, trying to calm himself down. As Al turned to his side and shut his eyes, he whispered to himself…

"Even though your Marta's counterpart, I'm glad your ok now," he paused, "This time, I won't let _anything_ happen to you, I promise," he then fell asleep soon after...

Edward snuggled down into his bed, staring at the wall silently as he thought. It was strange, yet wonderful, to see Marta return. He had missed her, and he had always admired her inner strength as much as her Amestrian counterpart's. And he couldn't seem to get over just how surreal it was to really have Alphonse back.

"I wish you could see 'im, Alfons," he mumbled, shutting his eyes. "He really does look like you. You two would've gotten along great..." And with that, he started to drift off to sleep.

* * *

It was getting very late and Dante had a feeling her latest creation would be returning soon. She stood by the front parlour window, smiling to herself. Thanks to Sloth, Envy and Thule the man who had betrayed her was no more, and now thanks to her newest 'sin', Despair, his sons with _that woman_ would give her the immortality she deserved, and they would both be taught a lesson in the process. A lesson they should have learned back in Amestris.

What a good decision it had been to order Hess to kill that boy as soon as he was done with him. Who better to turn into another of her soulless servants and use as a weapon against the Elrics?

Despair was walking back up the pathway to Dante's mansion. He had been a little slow and hoped she wouldn't have missed him by now. He eventually reached the front door, and rang the bell.

Having already seen him walking up the pathway from the window, Dante was there to greet him before he rang the bell a second time.

"Welcome back, Despair," she smiled, opening the door and gesturing him to enter. "Were you able to do as I instructed?"

"Yes Miss Lyra." He nodded. "I think I overheard them talking as well. They should be back there pretty early tomorrow."

"Perfect," Dante praised her newest minion. "Continue to do as I say and I shall have the Philosophers Stone and you shall have a chance to take your revenge and become human."

Perhaps she may grow accustomed to this latest homunculus. In a way, she had come to miss Envy, though she had long since given up any maternal feelings towards him. Her son no longer existed and neither did his mother; only a homunculus and its master had remained.

"Now we have only to wait until they make their next move," she continued as they entered the parlour. "Tomorrow you will find out their next course of action once they find the tempting bait left behind."

"Okay..." His mind was on Alphonse now.

They both sat down in the parlour. Dante could tell there was something on the homunculus's mind.

"Tell me," she asked, "tell me more about what you saw."

"The other me... I didn't know we were so much alike... I saw him briefly when he was following Edward out." He said, the subject making him feel more jealous that Edward seemed to favour the other over him so much.

"Edwards younger brother, the one he sacrificed _you_ for," Dante answered sympathetically, "Alphonse Elric is as responsible for your situation as Edward. He is selfish. He accepted the sacrifice, he took your life, your world, your country and your home, _everything_ from you so he could keep them all for himself."

"Do they hate me?" He asked. He wanted a certain response.

Dante nodded slowly.

"Poor thing, yes, you meant nothing to them. You were expendable. The only reason Edward accepted you at first was because he saw his brother in you, but once he found out he could get his true brother back in exchange for a cheap copy, he sacrificed you without a second thought. In fact, Edward and Alphonse were so overjoyed to see each other they hardly noticed your death at all. Does that answer your question?"

"Of course. It doesn't matter now anyway, because I hate them. I _hate_ them." He muttered.

At this, Dante placed her finger under Despairs chin and lifted his head up to meet her gaze.

"Well, you can hardly be expected to _like_ them after what they did to you for their own happiness," she said. "I promise, Despair, once the Philosophers Stone is complete you shall have everything back that they have stolen from you, and more."

Despair was now fully trusting of her, totally obedient wanting nothing more than to help her against the Elrics. He had become her willing slave, but he was almost proud. And in time he would once again have the name of Alfons Heiderich.

He was now kneeing before her in servitude, just as the rest of her minions had once done. Homunculus could be so easy to manipulate! Promise them revenge against whoever they blamed for their sorry state, promise them their humanity or even greater power from the Philosophers Stone and they were your slaves!

"There there now," she said, tenderly brushing Despairs blonde bangs from his eyes in a motherly fashion, eyes that now glowed with both trust and obedience for her and hatred for the Elrics, "you've had a difficult time today and there is nothing more to be done until tomorrow. You may go to your quarters if you wish."

"Yes Miss Lyra. Thank you, Miss Lyra." He said, wanting to be polite. He thought maybe he could get used to all this. He walked off back to his room for some rest.

The complex emotions she had seen in his eyes might almost be mistaken for human, Dante thought as she watched Despair make his way upstairs to his quarters. Well, it mattered not anyway. She had already won him over to her side, and if he had any doubts, there were other ways to make sure he kept this hatred for the Elrics enough to remain serving her.

Despair lay on his bed, letting his mind rest. He just waited until he fell asleep, waiting for tomorrow. He hoped that he and Dante would defeat the Elrics soon.

After Despair had retreated to his own quarters, Dante left the parlour and made her way up to her own lavish bedchambers...

Sitting across from the bed and the vanity in a comfortable guilt chair and wearing a fine silk dress was a dark skinned, dark haired young woman; the Roma psychic Thule had recaptured for her after the failed uprising. At first she had fought and tried to escape, but a little hypnotism had soon put and end to that. Now she was as docile as that other woman, Rose, had been when under the same trance. Noa had proved quite useful in seeing into the minds of other Thule members to learn which were useful and trustworthy, but that was not the main reason she had been chosen.

Dante knelt by the now empty eyed girl and traced a finger from her cheek down to her neck.

"Don't worry," she smiled thinly, "Edward will be here to see you soon enough, and I will take very good care of your body once he makes the Philosophers Stone for me."

Noa nodded her head "Edward" Noah said

"That's right," Dante patted Noas' head as she would a kitten or a puppy. "Edward will be coming as soon as possible because he loves you very much, and you love him too," she lied. Love, she had come to see from her own experience, was merely an illusion, much like equivalent exchange. All you had to do was hypnotise a person like this and they would love whomever you told them too. So petty and trivial.

Dante then moved in front of her elegant full length mirror and drew the top of her dress down slightly... There it was, the rotting flesh just above her bosom; Both Hohenheim and his son had said it was price to pay for every time she jumped bodies, but with the Philosophers Stone created from the hundreds of lives that would be lost to the inevitable second war, that would no longer be a problem. And the first thing she would do to celebrate would be to claim that exquisite body of the Roma girl for her own. Her new tool, Despair, would not fail her as the other homunculus had.

Noa Smiled at the thought "I love Edward"

"There's a good girl," Dante patted the Gypsies' hand approvingly, "and he will come for soon enough, but now we must get some rest, mustn't we?" Using another hypnosis technique, she looked into the girls' eyes. "We must get some sleep."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

That night, in the spare room, Marta experienced the first nightmare she'd had since she was a child...

_First, there were jail cells and chains... Unknown assailants seized her and forced her, unclothed, onto a table... Then an enormous serpent appeared in front of her... The next thing she knew she was hiding in something metal; was it a suit of armour? A familiar voice was speaking to her and she recognized it as Edwards' younger brother, then the voice changed and she could have sworn it was Alfons..._

_She peaked through a vent in the armour and gasped when she saw an eye looking in, but it wasn't a regular eye; it looked like a dragon or serpent or something eating it's own tail, and in the middle of it, to her shock, was a six pointed star, the symbol of her own people... _

_"Marta!" _

_This time she didn't know if it was Eds' brother Alphonse or her own Alfons calling to her, but it made no difference because the next thing she saw was blood, an enormous amount of blood..._

With a gasp, she awoke in her bed in the spare room. Grinning sheepishly, thankful she hadn't been childish enough to cry out and wake poor Edward and Alphonse, Marta ran her fingers through her ash blonde bangs.

"Damn you, Ed, those stories of yours are starting to get to me," she muttered to herself. Then determined to forget about it, she laid back down with her hands rested behind her head. To distract herself, she softly hummed a favourite tune of hers until she had fallen back asleep.

_Az ir vet, kinderlekh, dem goles shlepn,  
oygemutshet zayn,  
zolt ir fun di oysyes koyech shepn -  
kukt in zey arayn_

* * *

Alphonse yet again, spread his arms out and fell on his back on the bed. He was still in shock, but very joyed to see Marta's counterpart. He couldn't help but to think about the Marta he once knew back at home. All of a sudden, he had a flashback of Marta dying inside his armour; he then started to breath heavily, trying to calm himself down. As Al turned to his side and shut his eyes, he whispered to himself, "Even though your Marta's counterpart, I'm glad your ok now," he paused, "This time, I won't let _anything_ happen to you, I promise," he then fell asleep soon after...

Alphonse had finally fallen asleep, but maybe staying up was a better thing to do. His dream went like this...

_Alphonse had awoken from his sleep, but he wasn't in his body anymore, he was back in his suit of armour. He glanced around but couldn't see anything to well, as it was dark outside. Though, he noticed that he was lying in the middle of a town. He started to panic, having no knowledge of what was going on. He stood up and started to call out for his brother. "Brother!" He yelled, but no response._

It was very quiet and eerie where he was at, like no one existed there. He knew something bad was coming his way. In the distance, he saw someone standing there, carrying someone in their arms. He couldn't make out whom it was; he figured maybe it was Edward, so he started to run towards the person. "Brother!" He yelled again. As he got closer to the person, he came to a sudden stop and fell onto his knees. It was getting harder for him to breath, he started to feel scared. Al slowly tilted his head up, and looked at him again. He gasped, as he saw his brother covered in blood, being held by someone else who also had Edward's blood on him. The person holding Ed was a blur, Al couldn't see who it was. To him, it looked like a younger man, but he wasn't curtained.

"BROTHER!"...You could sense by Al's voice, he was deeply hurt and in so much pain. Seeing his brother dead, words can't even come close to expressing the way he felt. He couldn't even see straight anymore. "What did you do to him? You can't take him away from me again!" he yelled in agony. All he heard from the killer was a laugh. The person turned his back to Alphonse and continued carrying Edward's body. Al tried to get up, but he couldn't. Something was holding him back. "Bring my brother back!" He then cried like he never cried before, as he was watching the guy walk away from him, showing no mercy.

His eyes opened widely as Alphonse woke up with a gasp. He had tears strolling down his eyes, with a small amount of sweat on him. He sat up, and wiped his tears. He wanted to cry, but he shook it off slowly, knowing none of it was real, even though it felt so surreal to him. Al lay back down. He thought to himself after having that dream, there was no way he was going back to sleep. He wanted to check on Edward, but he knew he was probably sound asleep. He was thankful that it was only a nightmare, but he still wondered, who the guy that killed Edward was in his dream.

* * *

Edward's dream didn't quite make sense to him at first…

_He was at that little library, books surrounding him as he read by lamplight. He was watching his dream self scan over the pages, brows knit in thought. Suddenly, one of the books started to shake a bit. Then another. And another. And soon, the stacks around him were shaking, and then the shelves as well. He called out to his dream-self, wondering why he wasn't noticing this at all. But his other self just kept reading as if nothing were wrong._

Out of nowhere, the books even caught fire around his other self. Now Edward was really panicking. He thought of the zeppelin for a split second, his last vivid memory of fire. And that was when his dream-self's image shifted to the boy he had been inside of when he'd first come to this land. The boy that had died for him to live, crushed under the zeppelin's wreckage. "Get out of there!" Edward called. But the boy paid no mind until it was too late. The flaming books tilted precariously before they started tumbling from the shelves, smacking the boy and piling on top of him as he cried out in pain and fell backwards in his chair. "No!" Edward shouted. He ran towards his other self, ripping the burning books away from him. But with each book he pulled away, it seemed like two more would join in its place. The fire didn't affect him for some reason.

"I'm not going to let you die again," Edward promised quietly, determined as he tore books away. He started to panic when there seemed to be no end to the books. Finally, he caught a glimpse of blonde hair. "Hold on!" He tore through the books, flinging them behind him with no regard as to where they landed or if he ripped them in the process. His heart lifted when he saw his other self's face, covered in ash, but miraculously unharmed. "Thank goodness..." he breathed. The other Ed looked up at Edward for a moment, then smirked wickedly. Edward's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then his eyes widened and his heart plummeted: Before his eyes, the boy shifted into Envy's true form, Hohenheims' first son. He froze up and Envy cackled before spearing him through the chest, just as he had two years ago..."You can't escape from me, pipsqueak!"

Edward woke up with a gasp, his eyes wide, drenched in a cold sweat. He panted softly and moved a shaky hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Stupid dreams," he mumbled thickly. He could feel how weak his legs were and knew that if he stood, they would shake terribly. "I haven't had one like that in a long while..."

* * *

Marta hoped to never have a crazy nightmare like that again! Soon enough, it was morning in Munich and she could hear the bustling city traffic outside through the window, accompanied by the occasional shout of a passerby or the bark of a dog.

Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed, washed her face and hands in the nearby basin and dressed back up in her skirt, blouse and jacket.

After pinning her long hair back up, she made her way to the kitchen. Ed and Al hadn't gotten up yet, so she may as well start making breakfast now. It was the least she could do after they had allowed her to stay. Marta smiled, remembering how, as the only girl on the rocket research team, she had played the role of mother hen or sister to Ed, Alfons, Loa, Dorchet, Bido and Barry, making sure they took time from their work ad research to rest and get a halfway decent meal.

After hunting around in the cupboards and drawers, she found enough to make a passable meal; a few sausages, eggs and potatoes. Soon she had gotten started, slicing and cooking the potatoes along with the sausages and eggs.

Edward had slept rather lightly once he'd gotten over the dream. Little noises would make his eyelids snap open from paranoia. He was annoyed that seeing Envy in his dream had gotten him so wound up. He can't hurt you anymore, he scolded himself. He's dead. You saw it with your own eyes. He was sacrificed. But somehow, it didn't ease his worries. He perked up a bit when he heard something, coming from the kitchen he thought. And then a grin spread across his face as he caught the scent of sausage.

"Marta," he chuckled. The idea of a warm breakfast with an old friend relaxed him a little bit and he sat up, stretched, and got dressed before heading down.

_"Guten Morgen!"_ Marta greeted Edward as he entered the small kitchen area. She noticed him eyeing the sausages and gave him a knowing grin and a wink. She was glad for this chance to cook non-kosher without her rather traditionalist family knowing!

Alphonse managed to fall asleep on accident. His tiredness took over himself. Fortunate for him, he didn't have any dreams after that one nightmare. He slowly opened his eyes, and then he sat up and stretched his arms. He thought to himself, _I'm glad it's morning..._ Then he smelled the aroma of a breakfast in the process, so he immediately stood up and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Good morning!" He said to Ed and Marta with a big grin across his face. He was relieved to see his brother in one piece. Having breakfast with his brother and Marta was a good way to start his day. He then walked over to where Marta was cooking the food. His eyes glanced over the eggs and sausages. "This looks really good," he said happily. He wanted a bite of the sausage, but he figured he's gonna' have to be patient.

Seeing Alphonse eyeing the sizzling food, Marta playfully brandished the spatula at him.

"Hands off until it's ready," she said.

Minutes later, she had finished the sausages, eggs and potatoes and had made the three of them each a plate. After giving the boys theirs, she sat down to join them at the small table with her own plate.

"So, you two said you didn't have much luck last night in finding out where a weapon like this bomb would be, right?" she asked.

Edward sat down in front of his plate eagerly, answering Marta before he dug in.

"Unfortunately. We didn't find much at all last night. But we found a lot of books that might have clues," he said hopefully before taking a big bite of sausage. He grinned. He had never been much of a cook himself, so he hadn't really cooked himself a full meal since Alfons had...left.

Alphonse was happy that breakfast was ready, so he sat down, but before he took a bite of eggs he said, "We haven't found anything out about the uranium bomb yet, we thought maybe researching the Thule Society would bring us closer to finding out some kind of information. So far, none of the books showed us anything." He then took a bite of eggs.

Marta nodded after finishing off her potatoes.

"So, hypothetically, we all agree the Thule society probably has this weapon," she said thoughtfully. "Besides Eckhart, Haushofer and Hess, who would be the other key members of Thule in case the library produces bupkis again?"

Edward had already devoured his sausage, having never been one for that whole "save your favourite for last" phrase. He debated for a split second between the eggs and potatoes before taking a bite of egg.

"Well...if the library doesn't work out, we can track down other members of the team. After all, if people from Thule were sponsoring us, there's a good chance that there were people on our team that were in on it, too," he said between bites.

Having finished her own plate, Marta took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't know how much the others on our team knew about Thule besides being in league with the Nazi party, since you said yourself you were only aware of what they were up to once you talked to Lang, but it can't hurt," she agreed. "At any rate, we have a plan B. And besides Haushofer and Hess, there's Eckhart's cousin. We should find what we're looking for somewhere in all of this."

Alphonse finished his plate, and nodded to what Marta said, "She's right, at least we have a plan B, we'll eventually find out information one way or the other," he said positively. "Thank you for the meal Marta."

Marta grinned as she rose to help clear the table. "You're welcome. Can't very well go around looking for weapons of mass destruction on empty stomachs, now can we?" Then she placed the dishes, knifes and forks in the sink to be washed later with the dinner things.

Edward grinned a bit himself. Marta always had been one to make sure the rest of the team got a decent meal between their studies. It was kind of a self-elected position for her and he couldn't help but be amused that she had done the same for he and his brother. "Good point," he said, putting on his coat and shoes. "Especially since we don't know how long we'll be there."

Soon, after throwing on her old coat and scarf, Marta was ready to join Ed and Al on their way to the library...

The three of them had no idea that they were being watched at the moment, or that they remained watched as they headed off...

Alphonse put his blazer on first, then his shoes, and he headed out walking beside Edward and Marta. He thought to himself, he hadn't had one of those breakfasts in a while. Sitting around the table, talking and enjoying their homemade meals. He couldn't ask a better way to start off his morning. As they were walking, he said, "Between the three of us, we should be able to obtain some sort of information today," he said confidently, "Then we'll be one step closer to where we need to be."

* * *

Meanwhile, Despair's dreams had been altogether different from the ones Edward, Alphonse and Marta had had. He saw himself with another boy whom he had seen in the library. He had long blonde bangs and seemed to be close to him. His dream was far from being as frightening as the others but made little sense to him. This Edward and him seemed to be very close friends. He dreamt about some kind of rocket, and of Edward running through a crowd after someone. His dreams were vague and not as vivid as the others.

Despair meanwhile was trying to piece together what he had dreamt about that night. What scared and confused him was that in the dream, he didn't seem to die by Ed's hand or intention. He even dreamt about him and his brother being sad at his funeral. If only _his_ older brother were still around. One reason he had been so friendly with Edward was that he kind of reminded him of his brother, who died in a fire during a raid in England, where he was staying. His thoughts and memories came pouring in at an alarming rate, and he tried to shut them off, concerning himself only with getting up and greeting Dante before finding out what he was meant to do today.

Dante was already waiting for him in the parlour with a new plate of the red stones and a fresh pot of warm tea.

"Good morning, Despair," she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning." He smiled weakly back. It was just a gesture.

"Please, sit," Dante gestured to the nearby chair, "since you left the bait last night, Edward and his brother should be finding it soon."

He nodded.

"Do you want me to keep following their movements?"

Dante put her fingers together thoughtfully.

"Hmm, yes," keep track of their progress and make sure they follow the breadcrumbs the way they are supposed to. Reveal yourself only if you think it's necessary though."

"No problem."

"Have some more stones first before you start your next task," Dante advised her new homunculus, "you should be almost at the peak of your own power and they will help it develop faster." She knew the abilities of the seven homunculus, and it was already shown that Despair shared an empathetic connection with the younger of Hohenheims' children, but it was yet to be shown what the signature power of Despair really was.

Despair ate them gleefully as he had done before, not fully realizing how they were going to affect him.

Dante leaned foreword eagerly, anticipating just what her new minions power would be... Just a few more stones and everything would be complete...

Despair ate a few more stones and suddenly stopped to ask something.

"Hey, what did you say these stones would do again?"

"Concentrate," Dante answered. "Just concentrate and you will see for yourself."

He followed her advice and he began to feel himself lifting... he felt somewhat dizzy, as if he were being shaken, but he wasn't moving. The feeling stopped and no sooner had he felt calm again than an image came into his mind. It was the apartment where Edward and Alphonse - and now a young woman - were living. It looked like they had just had breakfast.

As much as it surprised her to see Despair disappear before her eyes, Dante was pleased, for now she had discovered the power within her new homunculus.

"Despair," she called out, "Despair, can you hear me? Can you transport yourself back here?"

He snapped out of it, his eyes opening and his head lifting up again to see what had called out to him.

"That felt strange..." he muttered largely to himself, wondering if this was the true nature of his new powers.

Dante patted his hand reassuringly. "You will get used to it in time. It seems as though this is the true nature of your powers as a homunculus, just as the oroburos seal appears as your true form. Now, do you think you could do it again, to find the Elrics and track their progress?"

"Okay..." He said weakly. He tried again, seeing the same things again.

This was perfect, Dante smiled to herself. Despair could now teleport himself in and out of anywhere he desired.

"When you see the Elrics, use your new power to follow them and make sure they find the first little gift you left them," she called after him, certain he could hear her from wherever he had transported himself.

He opened his eyes again, having been in a trance. He knew he was going to have to be careful with his abilities.

Despair had soon found the apartment and had begun his spying from there. He watched them set off.

He was waiting as the Elrics began to head for the library. Any minute now they would arrive and find the "evidence" left for them.

* * *

Noa woke up and walked down the stairs to see Dante and this person she didn't know. "Morning" Noa said sitting next to her at the table.

Dante poured both the Gypsy girl and herself a cup of tea to go with the plate of warm biscuits.

"Good morning, Noa dear," she greeted her future vessel with a smile. "I should tell you, we have a new member of the household. I just sent him on an errand so he is busy right now, but he should be back as soon as he is finished."

"Okay " Noa said drinking tea and picking up a biscuits then started to eat it.

"Poor poor girl," Dante said sympathetically, "you are alone and misunderstood in this world because of your race and your gifts, but here you needn't worry. I will take care of you." Yes, she certainly would take very good care of this body once it belonged fully to her.

Noa smiled at Lyra "Yes thank you for taking care of me " Noa said then finished her tea and had a biscuit.

"You're very welcome, Noa," Dante answered, kindly brushing Noas' dark bangs from her eyes. "Now all we have to do is wait for Despair to return and report the progress of the Elrics to us."

Noa smiled and nodded and put her teacup in the sink then sat back down waiting for him to come back.

* * *

They had arrived to the library, Alphonse opened the door and let Edward and Marta go in first, then he followed behind. He took his hands out of his pockets, pulled his chair out, and sat down eagerly. At the corner of his eye, he noticed a book lying on the table that he didn't recognize. He knew himself or Ed, didn't grab that book from the shelf. He opened the book curiously, to find any sort of information this time around. It wasn't long that they were there, but after reading a few pages, his eyes widened with a gasp, believing he found something of great importance to them.

"Brother, I found what we've been looking for, this book contains notes of Thule's scientific team who found and researched the uranium bomb. I read through a small portion of the book, but I couldn't help to notice this," he pointed to it, "I'm guessing that is a photo of the team," he said with a hint of excitement peeking through his voice.

His excitement was shared by his double, hiding outside and peering inside with his ability to enter Alphonse's mind. It was as if their excitement put together made them both very anxious.

Edward looked at Al's book with a mixture of excitement and wariness. "Let me see that," he said, taking the photo. His eyes flickered over the photo and a grin spread across his face. "This is perfect! If we can find them, or even one of them, then we can figure out what they're using the bomb for and where it is! Alphonse, that's awesome! I never thought we'd find something like this so soon!" He just couldn't stop grinning as his mind reeled through what they could use this new information for.

"Well, Happy early Hanukkah..." Marta usually wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but a concerned frown played across her face. Suddenly they find exactly what they've been needing right when they walk in? It just seemed so convenient...

Still, she nodded along with Edward and Alphonses' celebrating...

Alphonse was very excited; he couldn't believe he found the book so soon. Although he felt good inside, he knew something wasn't right. That book was never there before; it was obvious because it stood out. "I never noticed that book on the bookshelf yesterday. Either one of us, would have taken that book out to study it. Someone else must have set it here when we left." he said confidently. "It's kind of strange, don't you agree?"

"No kidding, Sherlock," Marta murmured. "I have the feeling someone _wanted_ us to find this... but... what else do we have to go on right now?"

Edward frowned a bit as well, thinking. "Well, yeah, it is pretty strange...but like Marta said, it's all we have to go on for now...Whether someone wanted us to find it or not, we've found it. We might as well continue with the research..." he said quietly, looking the book over.

Marta pointed to a section of the page. "Look, here's all the names and addresses of the Thule scientists involved with the bomb, including their research laboratory... and here's the address of their anonymous sponsor..."

Edward nodded, his eyes scanning over names to see if he recognized any of them. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that no one on the team had been involved. It had been a slim chance anyways, but it was worth checking.

"Alright...Marta, would you be alright checking out this sponsor of theirs? Alphonse and I will go to the lab and do some investigation. Where there's a lab, there's usually a weapon," he smiled wryly.

Of course, the sponsor for this bomb research project of Thule's, whomever they were, would be anonymous.

"Check," Marta answered with a self-assured nod. Had she known exactly what she would find at this address, she would have been more uneasy. "We'll meet back at the apartment when we're through, all right? You two watch yourselves."

Alphonse nodded, "We will," he said assuredly. "Take care of yourself, Marta," he smiled. Although he was ecstatic about the book he found, he was uneasy. He thought to himself, _who was it that left the book here for us?_ That was very strange to him, but he shrugged it off as for now. "Let's put these other books away, brother. Then we'll start heading to the lab," he said, as he got up from his chair, and took the books he grabbed and went to the bookshelf.

"Yeah, no need to leave a mess," Edward agreed, scooping up some of his books as well. Admittedly, he was a little antsy though. It was natural for him; once he got rared up to go do something, he wanted to do it as soon as possible. "You watch yourself, too, Marta," Ed said while putting a couple books back on one of the shelves. "We don't know who this sponsor is or what they're like. Stay on your toes."

Right, as if someone's house was more potentially dangerous then a secret laboratory, but it was just like Edward to take on the more risky lead. Who was she to complain though?

"You boys stay on your toes too," Marta answered, making a kissing motion in the air, "you know what these cliché secret labs are like." It was a joke, but she knew they got the warning.

After copying the address and leaving the library, she made her way down the street to where she had stashed her bicycle the other day. Getting on it, she sped off to investigate the address of this possible sponsor.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Despair was watching as the blonde haired girl left. Things seemed to be going according to plan, although he wasn't sure how this young lady had gotten involved.

The address had turned out to be a grand looking mansion with well-kept grounds on the outskirts of the Munich suburbs. Apparently, not everyone had been left poverty stricken after the Great War.

After hiding her bike away nearby, Marta peered out from behind the closest tree to see that there was no car or carriage in the front. This meant it was likely that there was nobody home...

Despair followed her, hoping that she wouldn't accidentally find out too much.

Thankfully, there wasn't a gate as she had usually seen around other mansions. Carefully, she walked along the side of the grounds until she saw a side door leading into what was probably the pantry or cellar of the downstairs area of the mansion...

The door was locked, of course, so Marta took a hairpin from her bun and went to work on the lock. Finally, it clicked and she was able to turn the knob. Entering quietly, she couldn't help grinning to herself. The daughter of a former army officer didn't get all her education in school!

Despair followed silently up the footpath, not wanting to be seen yet. He was anxious about letting her enter Dante's mansion. Though he didn't know if this would be very good or very bad news for her.

Dante watched from the window, hidden in the shadows. This was going much better, and faster, then she had planned! This curious girl who reminded her of one of those chimeras from Lab 5 Greed had recruited back in Amestris had just entered the house, no doubt following one of the leads Despair had planted last night.

"Noa, dear," she said, turning to her companion, "it seems we have a guest. Please go down and greet her. We must make certain she's comfortable."

Noa heard the door opened and looked at Dante "Is that Edward coming" Noa asked.

Dante laughed. "Patience, dear. Your Edward will be coming soon enough. But now, you must greet our young lady guest and bring her upstairs to me, all right?"

Noa nodded obediently and was soon making her way downstairs. About halfway down she saw the young blonde woman and then she walked all the way down to meet up with the guest. "Hello my name is Noa and you are?" Noa said extending to her hand to shake.

Marta spun around, startled. At first, she wanted to run upon being discovered, but the one who had just spoken to her, a dark skinned, dark haired girl with a shy smile, didn't seem to mean her any harm...

Where had she heard the name Noa before? Hadn't Ed mentioned a Noa last night? Could this be just a coincidence?

"Ummm... Hello..." she greeted the other girl awkwardly, accepting her hand to shake. "I'm sorry for trespassing... My name's Marta, Marta Nachash."

"Hi Marta it's nice to meet you" Noa said smiling and shook her hand, but when she shook her hand she saw everything, everything about her whole life and what she did in the past life. She didn't fully understand. Then she let go and looked at her in shock, but soon recovered herself and smiled "I see please follow me. The lady of the house, the sponsor you are looking for, is waiting" Noa said leading her upstairs.

This girl knew why she was here? It was as if she had read her mind or something...

Knowing it would only cause a big scene; Marta followed Noa up the stairs... The inside of the house was a grand and elegant as the outside, thought Marta couldn't help but feel like a prisoner walking to her execution...

Noa kept walking upstairs and down the hall to a door and opened it to let Marta in. Then she went in last and closed the door behind her…

"Hello, Marta Nachash," Dante greeted the girl with a smile from where she sat in the parlour. "Do come in. I hear you are interested in learning about Thule."

Marta shuddered inwardly, silently cursing herself for getting caught in the first place, but in a ditch effort to save herself, she made up what she hoped was a believable excuse.

"Umm... Oh no, Fraulein... umm..."

"You may call me Fräulein Lyra."

"Fräulein Lyra," Marta nodded. "I was just riding by and I thought I saw someone or something breaking into your house, so I followed them..."

At this, Dante smirked. "Oh, really? Well, as you can see the only trespasser here is you, but that's all right." As she spoke, she rose from her chair. "You see, Noa, like you, is also a member of a persecuted race, but I can help and protect you both if you stay here."

Noa nodded "It's true she helped me" Noa said then sat down on the chair.

Another knock was heard at the door. Despair wanted to know whether he was needed.

Hardly noticing the knock, Marta backed away from the approaching Fräulein Lyra...

"Oh, it's... It's all right..." she said. "Since I'm the only intruder here, I'd best be leaving..."

Dante briskly came forward and seized the girl by the arms.

"Oh no, dear, I'm afraid it's not that easy. We need Edward and Alphonse to come here, and what better reason then to be looking for you?"

At this, Marta's eyes widened.

"No!" she cried. "I know you're the one sponsoring the research on that bomb! I won't let you hurt Ed and Al!"

Dante gripped her even more firmly, but after dealing with harmless, gentle Rose and Noa, she underestimated the daughter of a former officer in the German army who had been taught self-defence movements for this kind of assault.

In one swift movement, Marta kneed Dante in the ribs, lashed out with her left leg and tripped her to the floor. The moment she was free, she made a break for the closed door...

The door swung open and at the other end was the figure of a boy or young man standing outside, in the way of the door as if he had been following her in. He saw her running and caught her; she looked up and immediately recognized the familiar features of her captor.

Marta turned pale and her legs felt weak at the sight of the familiar face that she thought had been dead for weeks... Was it a ghost? A dream? A fear induced hallucination?

"Al... _Alfons...?_" she gasped before Dante, recovered from the blows, had moved behind her and knocked her out with a swift strike to the back of her head.  
With a moan of pain, she collapsed forward into Despairs hold.

"Who is this...?" Despair asked confusedly. He must have missed something.

Dante crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the unconscious girl in Despairs arms. She couldn't remember the last time another female, with the exception of her pupil, Izumi Curtis, had dared to fight back against her, physically or with alchemy, still, she had to hand it to this Marta for trying.

"She's someone you used to know, Despair," she explained, then she lied "but she's joined up with the Elrics, probably because she wants to help them get rid of you before you can become human. I have told you what they do to homunculus, right?"

"What...?"

Dante placed a hand warmly on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but they destroy homunculus. The last ones who worked for me... the Elrics killed them all... They view them as unfit to exist, which is yet another reason you must destroy them after I use them to create the Philosophers Stone. Now, Despair, I want you to take this girl and place her in the spare room next to Noas'. Noa," she turned to the Gypsy girl, "I want you to make her comfortable, but tie her wrists and ankles so she can't try any of those little tricks of hers again."

Noa Nodded and walked towards the spare room to make room for their new guests. When she was done she waited for Despair to come with Marta so she could tie her up.

When Despair arrived with the captive, Noa finished preparing the bedroom and then she began to tie up the girls' arms and legs tightly and firmly. "It's done" Noa said, looking down at the unconscious Marta.

Despair waited for a few seconds, hesitating. He turned to Noa.

"Can you leave us alone for a minute, please?" He asked, hoping desperately it wasn't going to be an awkward question.

Noa nodded her head "Sure" Noa said smiling then leaving the room to go back to Lyra.

Despair watched her go, and turned over to Marta. He immediately began to try and wake her up by shaking her shoulder gently.

"Hey... Hey, wake up" He spoke softly with a hint of intensity.

_It was that same nightmare again... War... carnage... bloodshed... There were the prisons and labs where she and her friends like Loa and Dorchet were turned into half creatures... The snake... Then she was back inside the armour again, trying desperately to say something important and hearing Alphonses' voice…_

_"Marta"_

_It was no longer Eds' brothers' voice but Alfonses' voice…_

_"Marta"_

_Then she saw the six-pointed star with the dragon encircling it and the splash of her own blood..._

"No!" she gasped as her eyes flew open.

Her hands and feet were now tied and she was lying on a bed in one of that witches spare rooms.

Standing nearby was someone she had thought she would never see again...

"Alfons?..." she whispered, then she shook her head. No, it couldn't be him. He was dead. Anyway, this boy was deathly pale with sunken eyes and a sombre expression. His most distinguishing feature was the six-pointed star under his left eye; only a long dragon-like creature encircled it... It was the same mark from her nightmare...

"Who are you? Is that my real name?" He asked, startled by her sudden awakening.

His real name? As if she would know who this odd stranger with her closest friends' face was.

"I... I'm Marta Nachash," she answered. Then her eyes lowered sadly. "But... You couldn't have been who I thought at first, because he died..." The she glared at the ropes around her wrists and ankles. "Who is that witch, and why the hell am I tied up here?"

"You're here... because I was killed. I'm helping her to find the stone she's talking about so we can get revenge and I can become human again." He replied, not fully understanding.

Marta winced from the pain at the back of her head, which was still smarting somewhat from the blow. Finally, she'd met someone as strange as Edward! These guys and their tall tales!

"But... You're here... How could you have been killed?... Aren't you a human anyway?..."

Why did she have the feeling she wasn't going to like the answer to this?

"I don't know... that "witch" you're talking about is my friend and master. She said she re-su-rrected me... or something..." he said slowly with little understanding of what she had told him before. "I'm not human, at least not anymore. I'm a Homunculus. See this thing?" He pointed resentfully to the symbol under his eye. "That's my seal."

Homunculus?... Marta remembered reading and discussing a book on outdated alchemy once that said homunculus were mythical artificially created little humans who served their master/creator in return for a diet of milk and honey or blood, or lavender seed and earthworms... What had Ed said about that?... Oh, right, that they were the results of failed human resurrection... If that was the case and his stories were true...

"Alfons...?" she whispered in disbelief, reaching out with both tied hands to touch the mark. "Can it really be you?... Do you remember anything?..."

"I remember enough. That those two sacrificed me for their own gain. Now they're going to pay." He said in a very un-Alfons-like tone.

Sacrificed him for their own gain? This almost mirrored her own initial suspicions, but she had believed Edward when he'd said he and Alphonse were not involved in the uprising or Alfonses death... Still, there was no way she could know for sure, not having been there herself that night...  
"If you are who I think you are... your name was Alfons Heiderich," she said quietly. What does that woman call you?"

"Just Despair... that's my only name now." He said in an attempt to dismiss his old name even though he felt intrigued to have found out for sure what it was.

Despair? _Oy!_ Names weren't this womans' forte, were they?

"Look, I don't know what happened," Marta said, "but I think that witch is lying to you. She's a member of the Nazi party and Thule. She's already sponsoring the research of a bomb that could probably destroy a whole large city if it was set off."

"I don't believe you. Why would she be?" he stated angrily. He didn't want to believe her.

"Why don't you ask _her?_" Marta replied, narrowing her eyes. The words Edward had said to her last night played themselves over in her mind...

_"I barely know anything... Alfons...he let me use the rocket...so that I could get back to my own world... Anyways, to make a long story short, I didn't even know Alfons was...dead... I didn't know he was dead until I came back... Noa was cradling him, and he had a bullet wound to the stomach... He was already gone when I got there..."_

She shook her head. It was hard to fathom.

"Edward and I were your friends," she said. "Why would he sacrifice you for his own gain?"

Alfons saw into her eyes for a moment and his mouth and eyes hung wide until he hastily regained his composure, now more angry.

"I... he..." He paused. "I don't know... I don't know what to think anymore." He was clearly fighting a mental battle. His face scrunched up as if in pain and he held his head in his hands. Eventually he let all his pain out. "STOP LYING TO ME!!!" He shouted as he burst out the door, leaving her on her own, tied up and helpless.

"Wait!" Marta cried after him, but the homunculus, Despair, had already bolted from the room. She would have run after him, only the bonds on her ankles made that impossible.

Dammit! So Edwards far fetched stories were true after all! There really was a way to create some kind of artificial human from one who had died!

Tears rimmed her eyes and she roughly wiped them away with her tied up hands.

"Alfons," she whispered, "what has that woman done to you?"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Alphonse looked at Edward, while putting his right hand on the back of his head, "So, how are we going to get to the laboratory," he asked curiously.

Edward was wondering that himself as he frowned at the address he had scrawled down.

"Well...I guess we just do what Marta did for starters: Find out where the hell this place is. And even if there's guards, it's not like we haven't dealt with that before, right?" he smiled wryly, thinking of years ago when they had broken into Lab Five. In the same instant, he remembered that as the moment the Homunculi had revealed themselves to himself and Alphonse, and for a moment he felt uneasy. But it quickly passed as he reminded himself that there were no Homunculi here, or at least there weren't to his knowledge.

"Once we're in, depending on how big the lab is, we might need to split up so we can cover more ground. There's a lot of variables in it..."

Alphonse immediately stated, "Right, what we've dealt with in the past, guards are nothing to us." What they both had been through, he was physically prepared for anything at the time being. "Alright," he nodded, "I'm ready for anything that crosses our path," he clinched his right fist, boldly speaking. As he has gotten older, he has become stronger in serious situations, both mentally and physically. But he still tends to fail, when it comes to his brother, or close friends. "Why don't we ask someone around here, maybe they know the location of the laboratory," he said.

Edward nodded, glancing around the streets. "Man, where's Hughes when ya need him?" he muttered to himself. "I guess we should just show people the address and see if they know where it is. No need to tell them WHY we're going, after all."

Alphonse agreed with Edward, "Okay, so who are we going to ask first?" He said, taking a look around.

"Well...maybe it'd actually be better if we just go with this address," he said, pointing at an address at the bottom of the page. "I would trust Hughes to keep it secret, but I don't know how safe it would be to ask other people. After all, I didn't realize I was surrounded by Nazis one time until they all flashed their little pins. Anyone here could be against us."

Alphonse nodded, "Alright, brother. I'm glad we didn't end up asking anyone here." He said. "Hopefully, this address is the correct one."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Let's see here...I think I might have an idea of where it's at. We'll have to head downtown a ways. Just keep your eyes peeled; just because it's a lab, doesn't mean it'll look like one."

Alphonse looked at his brother and nodded, "Okay." He started to glance around as they were walking, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that could be a lab.

Edward did the same as his brother, occasionally glancing at the address to make sure they hadn't passed it. "I wonder how Marta's doing," he thought out loud.

"I was thinking the same thing as you," Alphonse paused for a moment, as he was thinking about Marta. "I hope she's okay," he said worryingly. "I promised myself, I wouldn't let anything happen to her." He then muttered to himself, "I'm not going to lose her again."

Edward felt a pang, remembering how their world's Marta had been killed right inside of Al's armour and how close they had been. "She's a strong person. I'm sure if she's in trouble, she can wriggle her way out of it," he said, placing a hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "We won't lose her."

Alphonse looked at Edward as his eyes softened, and he nodded. Those words his brother spoke, _we won't lose her_, made Al feel a lot better that Marta would be okay. He continued looking around for the lab, but didn't notice anything yet.

"So far, I haven't seen any place that could be a laboratory," he sighed, "How about you, brother?"

Edward sighed softly and shook his head. "Nope. Man, I hope finding this lab doesn't take as long as it did to look for books yesterday. Weeding through house after house to see if there's anything..." He trailed off for a moment, eyes locked on a rundown-looking warehouse. Sub-consciously, he took a step towards it, eyes narrowed in thought.

Alphonse noticed Edward eyeing the rundown warehouse. So he anxiously waited for his brother's response about it, hoping that it is a lab in disguise.

"Hey Al," Edward said after a long moment. "You know how we keep seeing people here that we recognize from our world? ...Do you think there would be buildings like that? 'Cause I'm looking at that warehouse and all I'm seeing is _Lab 5_," he murmured, turning to his brother.

Alphonse immediately replied, "Yes, I believe that buildings from this world, could resemble buildings from our world." He said definite, then paused for a moment, "I wouldn't be surprised if faces weren't the only thing recognizable here," he said. As he looked towards the warehouse he said, "That's just my opinion though."

"That's all the opinion I needed," Edward said confidently, glancing back at Alphonse. "Every fibre of me is screaming that this is the place. Come on, let's check it out!" he said, running ahead.

Unlike Lab 5, there weren't elaborate security measures around it, which was a relief to Ed. No climbing barbed wire to get over high cement walls and sneaking past guards. At least that was something. But if there weren't guards on the outside, it was probably so they didn't arouse suspicions, Edward figured. Which meant that there were probably more people on the inside. Cautiously, he pushed the door open a slit, just enough for him to see in. He glanced around before pushing the door open a little further…

Huskasin, one of Thule's top scientists was working on his new invention, an amplifying device for the recently discovered nuclear weapon.

"I am almost there this will be Germanys' greatest achievement of all time" Huskasin said to himself as he worked, not noticing the two figures entering…

Edward's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as the doctor didn't seem to acknowledge him. His voice...it sounded a bit familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Huskasin then looked up from his work to see the boy nearby. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded in confusion.

Edward's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Huskasin...? No, wait...our world's Huskasin was destroyed in his own lab...so this is the other one...Didn't see that one coming," he muttered to himself.

"Well, what do you two want? Trespassers are not permitted. I have more important things to deal with now," Huskasin snapped impatiently.

Edward frowned slightly, trying to think quickly. This world's Huskasin didn't know him, and he could certainly use that to his advantage. So, doing what he did best in situations like these...he lied. Well, partially.

"My name is, er..." he hesitated for a moment, not trusting to give out his true name, nor to borrow one of the team members' in case he got in trouble and they were blamed.

"...Cedric." He had known a boy in his neighbourhood by that name, when he and his father were still in London. "Cedric Artemus. And I'm from the research team. Our leaders sent me over here, thinking that I would be able to help with your research." Now that he was sure of what he wanted to say, he was on a roll, his light tone back in place.

"Of course, I've always been curious of what exactly happens in these labs-- I'm kinda new to the team, see-- and I thought that if I saw what you were working on, I'd have a better idea of what exactly we're working towards. But if you don't want me here, I suppose I can just go back and tell our leaders how you cruelly refused the young boy with hopes of a brighter future in Munich," he added in the same kind of tone he often used when negotiating; light, implicating, and almost always carrying an edge of menace to it.

Startled, Huskasin stopped for a minute and looked up at the boy. "Ahh, Cedric Of course. Excuse me, I am working on a revolutionary project but I could use some assistance."

Edward smirked inwardly, noting how his ploy had worked. He stepped forward with an eyebrow raised. "Oh really? And what's that?"

"It's not finished yet, but we are currently working on a prototype for an amplifier of our latest weapon" Huskasin answered.

Edward's heart sank as he had practically confirmed their suspicions. Trying his best not to let his surprise and intrigue show through, he nodded.

"Yeah, I think the sponsor said something about that. It looks awfully complicated. Probably not something a kid like me would understand, right?" That light tone had returned, and it took a lot for him to restrain a smirk. It had been so long since he'd been able to do something like this.

"Don't worry" Huskasin assured them arrogantly. "Simply put, this weapon, an incredible bomb, will ensure the safety and peace of this country, and I shall be known as the greatest inventor there is."

Edward stifled a snicker, covering it as a harsh cough. He coughed a few times before he got control of himself again, and then his face was a mask. "So what exactly is this bomb supposed to do? Besides prevent another war, I mean."

"Well, with the new amplifier, when dropped to the ground it makes an explosion that will form a mushroom cloud that could rise as high some 18 kilometers (11 miles) above the bomb's hypocenter. It's blast will be equivalent to about 13 kilotons of TNT and the radius of total destruction should be about one mile (1.6 km), with resulting fires across 11.4 km² (4.4 square miles). Infrastructure damage is estimated at 90%" His explanation was long winded and he was clearly proud of this discovery, regardless of the death and destruction it would cause.

Edward hoped that nothing showed on his face as his heart sank further, then started beating faster. _Wait till Marta hears this_, he thought grimly.  
"So, this bomb is going to prevent another war by causing more casualties?" he asked quietly, his jaw set as he felt a swoop of anger at the thought.

Huskasin looked at the boy for a second "Are you all right? Surely you're not sick like that other boy was?"

Edward looked up at Huskasin in surprise. "Sick...? Wait, did you know Alfons Heiderich?" he asked.

"Yes I did. He came to me wanting help with his rocket and I gave him a few design ideas. He had a horrible cough. It's a shame he's dead, but life goes on. Did you know him?" Huskasin asked.

Edward's eyes softened a bit and he nodded. "Yeah, he was...a really good friend of mine."

"I'm sorry for your loss," was the half-hearted reply of sympathy, "but do you have any more questions you might want to ask me?"

Edward took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking off the weighted feeling that seemed to have landed on his shoulders for the moment. "Yeah, a couple. When exactly do you think the actual bomb will be finished?"

"Since I'm almost done with the prototype of the amplifier, the actual bomb will be complete in range of a couple months to a year, minus the testing that I have to do" was the answer.

Edward heaved a sigh of relief at that. That gave them a good amount of time to get this all sorted out. "Alright then. Hmmm...Who all on the team is in on this? That

way I know who I can refer to later if I need help or have another question or something."

He had it written down to give to Edward. "Here you are," he said giving the boy the address.

Edward couldn't help but look a little smug as he was handed the address. "Thanks," he said, then headed out to where Al still was. He turned to his brother and grinned. "Got the address, piece of cake!"

"Good job, brother!" Alphonse grinned. "I was standing next to the door listening to you and Huskasin's conversation. It surprised me when I found out it was him, his counterpart you were talking to." He then paused for a brief moment, looked back at Edward and said, "You always know how to retrieve information from someone easily though," he chuckled.

"It's all in knowin' the right things to say," Edward said, just a bit smugly. He was still proud of himself for pulling it off so well. "I figured if I threatened to tell the higher ups, he'd either shrug it off or quickly submit, which would give us an idea of the kind of person he or she is. But yeah, it surprised me too...After seeing what he did to himself at that lab, it was kinda freaky to see him there. Like seeing a ghost," he laughed quietly.

"It's a slim chance someone would end up with that last name, but it is possible. Even If someone ended up having it, you'll figure a way out like you always do," Alphonse smiled. "So, what do we do now?"

Edward grinned proudly at that, then thought for a moment. "Well...Marta's probably still talking with the sponsor, trying to get info from them like I did with Huskasin. I wonder if she gave them a fake name," he thought out loud, then shrugged and continued. "Since we have the address to that place too, I say we check it out next. Maybe we can meet 'er there."

Meanwhile, Huskasin was beginning to feel uneasy… From what he remembered from the private records, there had never been a "Cedric Artemus" listed under either the Nazi parties youngest members or Thule… In his haste to brag about his work, he had given a strange boy without any actual identity far to much information to be comfortable…

"Someone has some serious explaining to do," Huskasin said to himself as he left his lab room, heading in the direction that boy had left…

Alphonse nodded to Edward's response. As they were heading out, he heard a sudden noise coming from where Huskasin was. He immediately stopped in his tracks, and gasped. He thought he heard footsteps coming from inside, the sound was getting closer and louder. He turned to his brother quickly and said quietly, "Brother, do you hear that? It sounds like footsteps," he paused for a moment, "What should we do?"

Edward swore quietly under his breath, wheeling around as he, too, heard the footsteps. "Crap...He must have caught onto my name. And here I'd hoped we'd be long gone before he did..."

Alphonse started to feel a little uneasy, "I thought Huskasin believed everything you told him, and now he decides to change his mind about it." he said disappointedly.

Edward frowned slightly, his eyes flickering from the lab to their escape route. "Yeah, but I say we take the confrontation. After all, there's not much he can do about my giving a fake name, since he's not gonna get my real one outta me. And if we run, it might just cause more grief for us later. Better to get it over with now," he sighed.

By now, Huskasin had arrived at the entrance to the Lab. Seeing Edward and Alphonse he demanded angrily "Who are you really? Did you honestly think you could take me for a fool?!"

Edward barely restrained a smirk. "What ever do you mean?" he asked lightly. _Just because the guy caught on to me,_ he thought, _doesn't mean I can't still mess with his head._

"I remember that boy, Alfons Heiderich, saying something about a friend who was also interested in rockets, and when I asked who he was he said that his name was Edward, Edward Elric" Huskasin answered, growing even more suspicious.

Edward raised a brow, although the mention of Alfons again had caught him off-guard. "Well, I do remember an Edward on the team," he said thoughtfully. "But you must be mistaken. I've already told you, my name is Cedric. Although, some people say we look alike," he laughed.

As far as Huskasin was concerned, this boy and his younger companion were guilty as charged!

"I know you are either Edward Elric or some other faction of spies against Thule! We have ways of dealing with foreign spies!"

Edward's eyes narrowed and he abandoned trying to assert his fake name. "Alright, what if we are? I've dealt with people ten times stronger than you, I bet," he said confidently. "If you think you can take my brother and I down, go ahead and try." He didn't realize he had already slipped into an offensive pose, out of instinct.

Huskasin then pulled out the gun he'd kept hidden in his jacket. "No, you and your little friend are not going anywhere" he growled.

"I'm not his friend, I'm his brother." Alphonse said seriously. "I suggest you put that gun down before you get yourself hurt," he said with a smirk, clinching his right fist.

"Oh I wouldn't make threats in your position" Huskasin sneered, setting the trigger on the gun, making a clicking noise "Now get back in there so we can hold you until the rest of the Society can decide what's to be done with you." He motioned back towards the lab.

Edward frowned as he heard the click, glancing at Alphonse before turning back to Huskasin. "This is your last warning, Huskasin. Put. The gun. Down," he said, emphasizing every word. As a precaution though, he angled his body a little to the left, so that his right shoulder faced the other man more.

"Or you will do what exactly?" Huskasin taunted, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Instinctively, he tensed a bit, but Edward didn't shrink back. He watched Huskasin warily, taking a step forward. "Or I'll have to hurt you, and neither of us wants that." _Well, maybe I want it a LITTLE, Ed thought mischievously._

"I can't let you go with the kind of Information, so you must be dealt with" Huskasin answered back, not taking the warnings of two teenaged boys seriously.

"Hey, you're the one who slipped up," Edward grinned. "It just benefited me in the end." As he spoke, he took a few more cautious steps, almost walking sideways now.

Huskasin saw him moving in closer, so he hastily pulled the trigger… It fired, aiming for Edward…

Ed's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly moved his auto mail arm in front of him, wincing at the metallic clang of the bullet and the impact. He looked at the small dent with narrowed eyes, and his glare was absolutely livid when he looked back to Huskasin.

"Didn't think you'd actually shoot...now Winry's auto mail is dented," he mumbled. And with that, he abandoned his pretences, charging at Huskasin and aiming a punch at his gut.

The attack took Huskasin by surprise and he fell on the floor gasping. Even more baffling was how that bullet had struck against the boys' arm without drawing any blood.

"How is that...possible" he asked in shock.

Alphonse's eyes widened with a gasp, he ran quickly to where Edward was standing. He glanced over at his brother, then back at Huskasin. "This is what happens when you don't listen to us," he said, looking Huskasin in the eyes.

Huskasin looked at both of them "Who are.... you... really?"

Edward looked down at Huskasin coldly, pulling back the sleeve of his coat to reveal the shining auto mail beneath.

"You're not getting our real names," he said quietly. "And if you try to argue, it'll be the metal leg that gets you in the gut."

Alphonse also looked down at Huskasin coldly, showing him no fear.

"Please Huskasin, we don't want to have to hurt you any more," he said quietly. "We have our reasons for not informing you who we really are."

Huskasin was furious at this, furious at being made of a fool of by two children, but he had dropped his gun at Edwards attack and wasn't able to reach it now.

"You won't get away with this!" he yelled in frustration.

Edward shrugged. "You're right, we probably won't. Eventually, we'll probably be discovered. But there's no need to rush it. But like my brother said, we have our reasons for not giving our names."

Alphonse looked away from Huskasin, and turned towards his brother, Edward.

"We don't have time for this, brother. We have more important tasks we need to take care of," he said. "So what do you suggest we do now?" He asked quietly, making sure Huskasin wouldn't hear any of the words he spoke.

Edward sighed softly and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I know," he murmured, keeping his voice down as well. "I say we just keep going where we were going; the sponsors' address. Now that we know what's going on in the lab, we can find out who's behind it all."

"Okay," he said, agreeing with his brother. "We should get out of here before Huskasin starts to ask us more personal questions," he said quietly, waiting for Ed to lead the way.

"Definitely," Edward agreed, glancing at Huskasin before running ahead.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Meanwhile, Dante had already received Noas assurance that the girl, Marta, was held up in the upstairs spare room and thanked her for it.  
It was then she heard a shout and the sound of a door slamming. Despair was already running back to the parlour.

Despair had forgotten that he had to be careful and in his rage had accidentally alerted her. On top of his mental anguish he now felt incredibly anxious as he came down the stairs.

From the sound of it, that girl, Marta, had been trying to turn her newest minion against her. Well, we couldn't have that, could we?

"Please bring Despair here, Noa," she instructed the gypsy girl. "I think he sounds quite troubled."

Despair heard her and followed after Noa. He was going this way anyway, though.

"Please, come in, Despair," Dante urged. "You sounded very upset. What did that girl say to you?"

"She thinks... she says that Edward and I were best friends and that he never betrayed me." he said, his head slightly down.

"She wasn't there when it happened. _I_ was, and I know," Dante answered decisively. "You treated Edward like a best friend, like family, when he came to Munich, even letting him stay in your own home when he had nowhere else to go, and what do you think you got in return?" she gestured towards him, "Edward only saw you as a temporary replacement for Alphonse, and when he had the opportunity to trade you to get the "real thing" back he took it. You are only the latest in a long line of people the Elrics have sacrificed for themselves and each other, because nothing else matters to them."

After Noa let him she was worried about him but she decided the best way to settle everyone's' nerves would be to prepare a small meal. She looked at the cabinets but didn't find anything "_Fräulein_ Lyra, where are the cooking utensils?" she asked.

Dante turned briefly from Despair. "In the drawers, Noa, dear," she answered with a wave of her hand, "but make something light, because if I am correct and everything was done as planned, the Elrics should be paying us a visit tonight and we want everything to be perfect."

Noa obediently prepared a small meal to be brought into the mansions ballroom later, then after finishing, she made her way upstairs to the spare room where Marta was being held. If everything was going to be perfect, then she needed a proper dress.

Marta sat up on the bed when Noa entered. Her wrists and ankles were still bound.  
"You're Roma, aren't you? What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Noa turned around to look at Marta "Yes I am, and I'm waiting for Edward. He _will_ come, I know it. I just need the right dress to wear when he arrives."

A dress? Edward coming? What in the world was this girl talking about? There was hollowness in her voice and emptiness in her eyes that she didn't like. As if she was in some kind of trance.

"I'm Jewish," she said, "that means Thule and the Nazi party have it in for both of us. Why are you serving that witch?"

"Lyra rescued me and took care of me when I was almost captured by Thule, and she said that I could see Edward again" Noa explained before going back to picking out a white gown with a flared skirt. The slender bodice outlined her shape and the color complimented her skin.

"She's a damned liar!" Marta snapped. "I don't know why the sponsor of Thule's research on that bomb would rescue and protect you, but it can't be out of the kindness of her heart."

As she spoke, her bound hands searched her coat and skirt pockets for something, anything, that could hep get her out of this... That was when she felt the closed handle of her pocketknife, the one her father had given her last year, which she had almost forgotten about since she'd never needed to use it until now...

"That's not true! _Fräulein_ Lyra wouldn't do anything to harm me at all. I love Edward and I can't wait 'till he comes!" Noa protested, holding the dress to herself before lovingly placing it on a nearby chair.

Marta mentally rolled her eyes at the smitten schoolgirl routine.  
"I thought the Roma were proud to be independent and needed no one outside the tribe to look after them," she said.

As she spoke, she opened the pocket knife and discreetly went to work on cutting the ropes...

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Lyra cares for me, but how you know my Edward?" Noa asked, confused and still in her trance.

"Ed was a friend of mine when we were working with the research team on our rockets," Marta answered.

She had been to a mind reading and hypnosis act once, performed by that traitor, Hanussen, at La Scala in Berlin. The hypnotized volunteers looked and acted very much like this Noa was now. Could this Roma girl be hypnotized too, and that was why she was so delusional about Edward? What could snap her out of it?

"You say that woman, Lyra, looks after you, but what about your family and your people?" she asked as she kept slicing at her bonds. "Don't the Roma take care of their own?"

"I have no family! The caravan I was traveling with sold me to Thule. That's where I met my Edward. I'm a drifter, not wanted by anyone except _Fräulein_ Lyra" Noa answered, sounding almost hurt.

At this revelation, Marta blinked with surprise."You're own people... you're own people sold you?..."

How could anyone do that? She shuddered at the thought of her own parents, or any of her relatives and friends in her neighbourhood, getting the idea to sell her. She could almost understand why Noa had become so blindly loyal to the first person to give her a place like this to live and keep her safe from persecution.

Still, she had seen enough to know that this Lyra, the sponsor and head of Thule's research, was bad news and that she had to get away from here and tell Ed and Al. If she could just keep Noa distracted long enough to be able to finish cutting the ropes around her wrists.

"Yes, my own people sold me when I just wanted to be loved and accepted by them, is that to much to ask for? But I came here and she saved me. What do you know? You've probably had a fine home and a happy family all your life!"

Maybe Noa had a point, even if she was acting like someone under a trance. True, her own people hadn't had an official homeland in centuries and were at the very top of the Nazis and Thule's hit list to boot, but at least she had had family and friends in both Austria and Munich for as long as she could remember. The team, Loa, Dorchet and the others, Edward and Alfons, they'd been like brothers to her and stood up for her on the odd occasion when she'd been singled out as the only girl, and the only one who was Jewish, on the team. She had no doubt Eds' brother, Alphonse, was the same.

Still, Marta couldn't be distracted from what she was doing. As Noa talked, she finished cutting the ropes around her wrists and began on the ones around her ankles...

Noa exited the room with her dress and made her way to her own room so she could get ready for Edwards arrival.

_"That's it, Noa,"_ Marta thought to herself, _"just go and try on your pretty dresses and don't notice what I'm doing."_

Finally, after a few minutes of cutting at the ropes around her ankles, Marta had managed to free herself...

After putting on her dress, Noa started on her way back to the spare room. "Marta, you must stay for Edwards arrival…" she began…

Dammit! That Noa girl had come back right on time! Marta had been hoping to make a quiet getaway, unseen, but now things were going to get a bit more complicated.  
Before the Roma girl could react, Marta had rushed over and pinned her arms behind her back with one hand while covering her mouth with the other.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to take a rain check on this little party," she hissed."

Noa was caught up in her hold, but there was at least one thing she could do. Quickly, she bit the hand holding her mouth and managed to let out a yell for help.

Marta hissed in pain from the bite, but still managed to overtake Noa and tie her up with the ropes she'd just freed herself from. For extra insurance, a pillow case around the mouth served as a gag.

"Now, you just sit and wait right here, okay?" she purred mockingly, giving the other girl a patronizing pat on the head, "and tell that Lyra witch thank you for her hospitality."

All Noa could do was stay there, helpless and waiting for someone to notice her, hoping her initial cry for help was heard.

**********

Despair sighed. "What will we do with her, then? Is Marta going to be bait or something?"

"Something like that," Dante nodded, "though the Elrics should be coming her of their own accord anyway." Then she smirked. "Knowing them, they probably will want to sacrifice you again to gain something for themselves. They did it to their own mother and father, you know."

Despair looked up, hoping she would tell him what she knows about the Eric's parents.

"First they sacrificed their own mother to get Alphonse's body back, and then their father and you so they could be reunited. Isn't brotherly love wonderful? And you ought to know what they do to homunculus."

"What do they do...?" Despair asked.

"I am so sorry, Despair, dear," Dante sighed sadly, "but the truth is, the Elrics only see homunculus as monsters, as a burden that is their responsibility to get rid of. The last homunculus, they destroyed, all of them, even the one that came from the failed transmutation of their own mother, Trisha Elric. They killed and sacrificed their own mother for their own gain and they will try to destroy you again too before you even have a chance to become human."

"Then... why did that girl say that you were a Witch, or that Ed wouldn't do that? She must not know them very well. I'm just... worried that's all. No matter who I trust, I might still be making a mistake."

Dante tenderly brushed a few stray blonde bangs from Despairs pale forehead.  
"You are right; Marta doesn't know either me or them very well. If she did, she would know that she too was one of the many sacrifices the Elrics made for their own gain, at least her counterpart in my world was. Who's to say they won't sacrifice the both of you again? Don't you want them to pay for what they've done, Despair, dear? Don't you want to become human again and take back what they stole from you?"

"Of... of course." Despair looked up. "I'm just a little confused, that's all. I wish I could see for myself what the Elrics are really like."

"You will be confronting the Elrics soon enough," Dante assured him, "besides, the very fact that you died because of them should be enough proof of what they are really like. Who was it that brought you back as a homunculus so you might have a chance to live again? It certainly wasn't _them_."

**********

Meanwhile, Marta rummaged through a desk in the spare room, trying to find something among this Lyra woman's letters and papers she could show as evidence of her involvement with the bomb... Her eyes narrowed as she spied a note signed by Lt. Hess...

_November 7, 1923,_

_Fräulein Lyra_

_Vorsitzender Ekhart freut sich, dich zu informieren, dass die Pläne für Deutschland I der Bewegung sind. Wir obay deine Aufträge töten das Forschungsteam, sobald die Produkteinleitung nachgewiesenes sucessful ist._

_Heß_

_November 7, 1923_

_Miss Lyra_

_Chairman Eckhart is pleased to inform you that the plans for Germany are in motion. We will obey your orders to kill the research team, as soon as the product introduction is proven successful.  
Heß_

**********

"Okay. I am with you Miss Lyra, as always. I am ready to confront the Elrics."

"That's good to hear. With the information you planted, they should be here soon enough," Dante replied, "and even if that doesn't work, they will look for this Marta when she remains missing."

Dante did not realize, however, that Marta was already by the door and listening in on the conversation...

"Who is she?" Despair asked. "What kind of connection has she got with the Elrics?"

"She and Edward were on the same rocket research team that you were on," Dante explained, "but I fear you can't trust her now anymore then you can trust the Elrics. The three of them will only call you a fake replacement, a mistake, a sin, then say they need to take responsibility and destroy you before you can re-start life as a human. They are the ones who sacrificed you for their own gain the first time, after all."

Marta clenched her hands and gritted her teeth in anger from her hiding place near the door.

"You lying hag!" she hissed under her breath. "You're dead!"

Despair was clutching his head, his mind filling with information. It told him to be relieved to see Marta, but he had no idea why.

"There there," Dante soothed, patting Despairs shoulder and then gently drawing his hands from his head. "You will understand when everything is put right. You will have your revenge on the Elrics and I will have the Philosophers Stone. Then everything will be allright again. Perhaps I can even use the stone to prove this countries own superiority to the world."

Marta shuddered inwardly when she heard this. Not only was Lyra behind this lethal bomb and Alfonses murder, but now she was using poor Despair, an undead Alfons, to get to Ed and Al and create another war!

Her anger taking control, Marta flung open the door and charged at Lyra before either she or Despair knew what was happening.

"You lying, murdering witch!" she yelled, pinning a shocked Lyras' arms behind her back. "So it all starts again, does it? More war? More death? Well not this time! I won't let you get away with it! And I won't let you use Alfons to hurt Ed and Al either!"

Despair felt a dark lump in his throat, totally disliking the words that came out of Marta's mouth. One of them had to be a liar, but which?

Struggling against the angry girls grip, Dante silently cursed her inability to perform alchemy in this world the same way as she had in her own.

"Despair," she cried, "are you really going to let her get away with this? Help your master!"

Despair leapt forward, punching her in the side and throwing her away from Dante. He stood vengefully above her, his foot directly beside her head where she landed on the ground.

Wincing and struggling to hold back tears from the pain, Marta scrambled to her hands and knees.

"Alfons...?" her voice cracked as she stared brokenly up at the homunculus her best friend had become...

Despair stepped back a little in shock, as if he had seen some monster trying to speak to him.

"I don't know what that witch did to you," Marta insisted, getting to her feet, "but she'd just using you, Alfons! Please, you have to get away before it's to late!" As she spoke, she reached out her hand to touch his shoulder...

Her wrist felt numb as he suddenly gripped it before she could touch him. Despair's eyes were closed and he looked almost as if he were in agony.

"How can I... trust you?" He spoke between panicked breaths.

"Because I'm your friend!" Marta pleaded. "I've been your friend since we started school here in Munich when we were ten! "Remember all the times you stood up for me when I got harassed for being Jewish? Remember helping me smuggle and hide my jazz and swing records even though my parents didn't approve of it? Remember all those times you came over for Hanukkah and Passover dinner? Remember our rocket research team with Ed, Loa, Dorchet, Bido and the others? Come on! You've got to remember!"

Despair began to remember things from everything she said. It gave him a chill.  
"Please, stay back." he pleaded, a last desperate cry from the dwindling sane part of his mind as madness set in. A hand was waved in front of her defensively. "Stay back!"

"She's just trying to confuse you, Despair!" Dante said, rising gracefully to her feet and dusting herself off from the attack. "Haven't I given you the opportunity to gain back everything the Elrics took from you? This girl is no doubt trying to take what little you have left now, so those two can have it for themselves."

Wanting to believe something, Despair felt the anger and let it flow through him.

"Listen," Marta persisted, the look on the homunculus's face told her she had struck a nerve with him, "I don't know what happened the night of the uprising, but Ed and Al are my friends, just like you. They would never have done anything like that to you! Not even for themselves!" She then took the note out of her coat pocket. "This is the truth! It's a letter to Lyra from Lt Hess! You have to read it!"

Dante blinked in concern, knowing _exactly_ what the girl was talking about. She couldn't afford for Despair to read that note! In one swift movement, she tore it from Marta's hand and threw it into the fire.

"You are just trying to confuse and mislead this poor boy for yours and the Elrics' own gain again," she scoffed.

"No!" Marta cried in horror at the loss of the only real piece of evidence she had to prove this witches lies and her involvement in Alfonses murder.

"That note..." Despair said silently before raising his voice back to slightly above normal level. "Why did you do that?". His stomach set itself alight with anxiety. He suddenly saw he had spoken out of turn, but what if she was wrong? What if she was right? His mind threatened to tear itself apart with confusion.

"Because it's only more lies, Despair, dear," Dante soothed, "either this girl or the Elrics probably made that note themselves to mislead you. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something more they wanted to gain by sacrificing you a second time. However," she continued as she reached out to grab Marta, "they should come to look for this girl here, and then you can have back everything they took from you."  
But Marta wasn't about to be caught a second time. She nimbly dodged Dantes' grasp and backed away towards the parlour room door.

"They won't come here after me, because I'm not staying here!" she hissed. Her eyes then met those of the stunned homunculus... "I'm sorry..." she murmured - She hadn't wanted to leave him here, but there seemed to be no choice - then, turning on her heal she bolted out of the parlour and escaped through the mansions front door... If she could find Ed and Al maybe they could help, or at least give her some insight into all of this...

As fast as she could, Marta scurried across the front yard to where she'd stashed her bike earlier.

Climbing back on it, she started to pedal in the direction of the city. She had to get back to the apartment to let Ed and Al know what had just happened! Even after all of Edwards tall tales, he'd probably never believe _this!_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Suddenly the figure of a boy appeared in front of her, catching her by surprise.  
It was Despair.

"Hey, wait!" He called out, preparing to instinctively dodge the bike, although it looked like he wasn't going to budge.

Taken by surprise, Marta quickly took her foot off the pedal and slammed it back down on the ground to stop the bike before it crashed into him.

"Look, Alfons, Despair, whoever you are," she snapped, still shaken, "if you think you can drag me back in there again to use as bait you've got another thing coming!"

"I don't want to hurt you." He pleaded. "I need to talk to you. I don't even know if I should... I'm already betraying Miss Lyra but something keeps telling me that I need to."

_Oy!_ Marta ran her fingers through her long bangs. What a day this was turning out to be!

"What then?" she asked. "I already told you, that witch is lying to you, though what she wants with Ed and Al, I don't know."

"But how do I know that? Really? You could be lying too. I don't know who to believe, but... if you're really telling the truth, then..." he hesitated, still anxious. "If you're really telling the truth, then," he looked up at her with a gaze that would have brought even Eckhart to tears, "don't tell them about me. Please. It would break Edward's heart." With that, he turned away and began to trundle off.

Break _Edwards_ heart? It was _her own_ that was breaking right now! Marta clenched her hands tightly around the handles of her bike and gritted her teeth, forcing back tears. How could she? How could she not tell Edward and Alphonse? What if there was a way they could help him?...

Shoving off with her free foot, she took off again, peddling as fast as she could away from the mansion and back to Munich...

Meanwhile, Dante watched the scene from the top window of the parlour, smiling to herself. In the long run, it really didn't matter if that girl escaped because once she reached the Elrics she would tell all and they would be here within the hour.

Despair was finally beginning to understand. He felt a warm feeling when thinking about Edward. Although he reminded himself that that still didn't mean he could not have been betrayed, he knew it was too difficult to ignore his inner feelings. But his recent decisions had left a cold feeling inside him that he was treading down a path that he should not have gone near.

Looking up to see Marta swiftly heading back to his old home, he entertained the thought of continuing his spying mission from before. If he could see Edward for himself without being seen, maybe he could find some evidence for whether he was truly bad or not. He liked the idea, and hoping that the solution to his anguish was in sight, he began to head for Munich.

Meanwhile, Dante watched from the parlour room window as Despair teleported away to follow that girl.

She nodded to herself. Even though this wasn't quite what she had had in mind, it was still to her advantage. Either way, the Elrics would come and they would have no choice but to cooperate this time.

Since she had become the one to pull the strings in the Thule Society, she had had those cohorts of Eckhart and Haushofer dig a transmutation circle underneath Munich, a circle that began and ended with this mansion...

Leaving the room, she made her way back up the stairs to the spare rooms. The bomb which had arrived in this world from Amestris several years ago was kept safely hidden in this very mansion, and the sons of Hohenheim would have no choice but to sacrifice Munich to create the Philosophers Stone for her, not if they didn't want all of Germany to perish.

It was then she heard the muffled sounds of a struggle from the nearest room, opening the door she was surprised to see Noa tied up on the floor and fighting to untie herself...

Noa saw Dante there and sighed inwardly from relief that her master was here to free her from the binds that she was in.

"There there, Noa, dear," Dante soothed, kneeling down and untying the ropes. "No need to make a scene." Then she undid the gag around the Roma girls' mouth. "What happened?"

"Well, after I finished tying up our guest I left the room to get changed for Edward, then when I came back Despair was gone and Marta somehow freed herself and tied me to the bed" Noa explained.

"I see," Dante remarked. This Marta was very much like how Pride had described her Amestrian counterpart. "Well, no need to worry, Noa, dear. No matter what, Edward will be here this evening, I assure you. Now, we must finish getting ready and making everything perfect for him."

Noa smiled at the mention of Edward coming. "Yes, I will get ready for him then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Marta had checked with Miss Gracia, but neither Ed or Al had returned to the apartment since this morning. They must be still at that other address, she decided; then, leaving her bike, she set off down the street to where she remembered them heading earlier... She never once saw that she was being followed by a teleporting homunculus...

Despair hid discreetly by a corner. It had been what seemed like all day since he had started to follow her. To his frustration, nothing he heard from Marta produced any evidence, and he was biting himself when he heard that the Elrics were out. His patience was running out.

Alphonse started to run, following behind Edward. Soon they were back on track, from where they had left off. He looked at Edward. "So, were going to the sponsors' address, right? Which way do we go from here?" He glanced around.

Edward slowed down to a walk once he was sure that Huskasin was far behind them. "Hmmm..." He looked at the address thoughtfully, then glanced around. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be north of here...I'm not sure how far north though," he frowned, glancing at his brother.

Marta hurried down the next street and turned a corner when she saw Edward and Alphonse leaving the nearest building a few paces ahead of her.  
Relieved and hoping those two had had an easier time of it then she'd had, she ran ahead and called out to them.

"Ed! Al!"

Edward perked up, and grinned broadly as he saw Marta, feeling a rush of relief of his own. "Marta!" he called back, waving an arm. "You alright?"

"Marta!" Alphonse yelled out, then grinned. He was relieved to see that Marta was in one piece.

Oy! These guys ought to try escaping a psychopathic witch, a confused homunculus and a brainwashed Roma and see how all right they were! But of course there was no way they would have known.

"I'm fine," she answered, taking a breath, "no thanks to what I found at this sponsors address! What about you two?"

He lowered his voice as he spoke, glancing around to make sure no one was listening to them. "We have a while as far as the bomb goes. They're not finished with the prototype, so I'd say a year at most," Edward murmured. "Why, what about you? You looked really freaked out, like ya saw a ghost or something." Not that he believed in ghosts, anyways.

Alphonse couldn't agree with his brother more. To Al, Marta looked like she had been threw the ringer and back. He had a feeling that something wasn't right. "Yeah, Marta, what happened at the address you were at?"

"Maybe I _have_ seen a ghost," Marta said, lowering her own voice. "The sponsor for the research on that bomb... It's that woman, Lyra, the one who's working for _Herr_ Lang at UFA Studios. You're friend, Noa... It looks like she's there as well."

Edward's eyes widened. "Lyra...? I hope it's not the Lyra I think it is," he muttered to himself. He looked back at Marta, a strange gleam in his eyes. "When Noa was there...did she seem to be there by her own will...? Or did she seem, I dunno, captive?" He couldn't help remembering when he and Noa had been at the beer hall and he had discovered that Noa had still been working with them.

Marta nodded slowly. "Come to think of it, remember Hanussans show at last years carnival?... Well I got the feeling I was talking to someone under one of his hypnosis tricks..."

"Hypnosis?" Ed echoed, his heart plummeting. "Did Noa seem that way, too? Because if she did...Let's just say I've seen this kind of thing happen before, and unless she's snapped out of it, it's not gonna end well." Edward's teeth clenched at the very thought of it. There shouldn't be any way Dante could have passed to this world, but still, the very mention of the wench sent shivers down his spine.

"She did seem that way," Marta nodded. "I didn't like the look of it." Then her voice softened... "I think... I think there's someone else there who may need our help too..."

Edward looked at her curiously. "Someone else? Who? Was it someone we know?" It made sense to him IF this was really Dante and IF she already had Noa under her spell that she would have another captive as well.

Marta was about to open her mouth to say that even though Edward might never believe it, it was Alfons, when she remembered the look on the homunculus's face as he pleaded with her not to tell Ed... She swallowed and shifted her gaze away from the Elrics...

"I... didn't stick around long enough to get their name," she attempted to lie.

Edward frowned a bit, hesitating whether to press it or not. "Marta, it might be important...if this Lyra is who I think it is, that person is in danger," he said quietly. "Are you sure you didn't get their name...?"

When Marta told them both that she didn't get his name in time, Alphonse shook his head in disbelief and disappointment. He stepped closer to her, and placed his left hand on Marta's left shoulder. Looking at her softly, he said, "Marta, if you know this person's name, then _please_ tell us...we'll be able to help this person."

Marta clenched her hands. _A brokh!_ Between Alfons and Alphonse it was like the same familiar sweet face was tearing her in two directions!

"Since when did you have to know who someone is in order to help them?" she muttered. "Besides, I doubt even you two story-tellers wouldn't believe it."

Despair's face looked immensely worried as he watched the conversation reach the point he had been waiting for. He was standing out the door, looking through the keyhole. A silly idea of his, but he was simply desperate to know what was going on in there. His ears were more finely tuned in than his eyes, and he listened in on every word. He made a small gasp from his side as he heard Marta's previous few words.

Alphonse took his left hand off her shoulder and placed it back by his side. "Why wouldn't we believe you? Your our friend," he said with a soft smile. "Were just curious who this person is...You'd probably do the same thing if you were in me and my brother's position, wouldn't you?" He said, trying to make a noticeable point to her in a positive way.

Marta swallowed... There was clearly no other way out of this... Well, here goes nothing...

"Ed, you remember when the group went out to see that movie, _"Der Golem"_, right?... No, maybe _"Frankenstein"_ or _"Faust"_ would be a better example here..."

Despair was beginning to take those metaphors as insulting.

Edward nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. "Yeah, that crazy scientist tried to bring someone back to life and it turned on him...why?"

"The scientists creation turned on him because he rejected and abandoned it," Marta said almost defensively. "Then in Part 2 of _"Faust"_ the sorcerers former student creates some kind of entity to work for him... What was it called again?..."

Edward's eyes widened as he felt slightly nauseous as he remembered the movie. "A homunculus," he breathed, looking at the ground for a moment. He felt as if he'd just eaten something very sour and he bit the inside of his lip before looking back to Marta. "Are you saying you saw a Homunculus with the sponsor?" He barely managed to say it. Of all things he thought he had finally escaped from, the Homunculi had been near the top of his small list. True, there had been Envy, but he had seen him sacrificed. If there was a Homunculus now, it had either somehow gotten to the other side of the Gate, or...or someone made a new one, he thought in horror.

"That's what he said he was," Marta answered. "I didn't want to believe him... but... there's no other way a dead person could be there..." Her voice trailed off warily...

He frowned again, thoughtful and cautious himself at this point. "Someone you thought was dead?" Edward paused, wondering if it was safe to press the subject again of who this person had been. "Either way, it sounds like they got to you...Just remember, no matter what a Homunculus looks like, they're not human anymore," he said sternly. "Some Homunculi will actually manipulate you, knowing your reactions to the face they have. Just remember: It's not the person you knew anymore. It's inhuman..." He had had to tell himself that half a million times before he'd allowed himself to seal away Sloth, his own sin wearing the face of his mother.

Alphonse's eyes widened with a gasp, as he started to get small goose bumps on his arms from hearing that word. "Homunculus..." His voice cracked. Al then lowered his voice, looking down. "That can't be true..." Hoping that what Marta spoke of wasn't true. He nodded to what his brother mentioned to Marta about the homunculi. "If this is true...brother is right, don't be manipulated by them." He said with a frown, knowing how they can be. As Alphonse had experienced being manipulated by Sloth. His mood turned around as this conversation got worse.

Marta frowned. She always hated it when guys played 'Big Brother' with her.

"Funny," she hissed, "that's the same thing _Herr_ Officer Hughes used to say about the Jews and the Roma; 'Don't trust them', 'They're not human', 'They're manipulative'. I know that Lyra woman is using him, but he _remembered_ me. I _know_ he did."

Edward felt a jab as she mentioned Hughes, remembering how he had pulled him aside the first time he'd seen Ed with Noa, telling him not to trust her and that she was a thief.

"Look, Homunculi are different," he insisted. "They're not a race, they're beings without souls! Alphonse and I have dealt with enough Homunculi to know how they are. True, this one might be a little different. So was Wrath at first. But once its conscience is gone, it won't hesitate to hurt you," he said quietly. Then his eyes hardened slightly as he realized her words. "Wait..._HE?_" he raised a brow at Marta. "What _'he'?_"

Now this took the cake! Lyra, Eckhart, Haushofer and Hess were all involved with Thule and the Nazi party, just waiting for their precious leader to make it legal to wipe out anyone he deemed 'undesirable', yet a homunculus, a _victim_, was the inhuman one with no soul?

"Yes, _he_," Marta answered matter of factly, "not _'it!" He!_ I can tell you, he wasn't anything like that Lyra woman, even if she's got some kind of hold on him. He's not a soulless monster with no conscience. Alfons isn't..." then with a gasp she covered her mouth in horror at having unintentionally blurted the secret out!

Already this was all going worse than he could possibly have imagined. So Edward really did think little of him!

That's it. he thought. His hand reached for the doorknob, however strained by the force of sheer emotion.

The conversation outside was interrupted by the startling sound of the doorknob screeching and opening. Standing on his own, his back slouched unhappily, was a youngish boy in dark clothes. The face that did little to hide the boy's inner pain and turmoil seemed almost identical to Alphonse's.

"Edward Elric... I've finally found you."

Just as Ed was about to question Marta about what she meant by "Alfons isn't", he heard the door opened. He swiftly turned to face the door, wary, but when he saw the face of the one standing there, he felt like someone had squeezed his heart.

"Alfons..." he breathed shakily, his eyes wide. He hoped against hope that this wasn't really the Homunculus Marta had seen, but as soon as he spotted the Oroborous under his eye, that tiny shred of hope was dashed away.

Alphonse stood there with his eyes widened in shock, staring at the homunculus, as his heart was racing. It _was_ true, he thought to himself. He was standing across from a homunculus that looked almost identical to himself. He became very uneasy, and couldn't speak at the moment.

Marta swallowed as she stared at the creature her friend had become. She hadn't counted on him following her here! Just how much had he overheard?

"You think I'm _inhuman,_ don't you?" Despair asked angrily. He'd clearly heard a lot. "I knew Miss Lyra was right!"

Edward bit his lip, trying hard to re-convince himself that the thing that stood before him really was just a Homunculus. But if he ignored the mark under his eye, it really was like being shouted at by his dear friend.

_"It's a bit late for you to start caring now!"_

Ed grimaced slightly; their last argument before Alfons had died still stuck with him vividly. He took a slow breath, trying to calm himself, but it didn't help much at all.

"I believe...no, I _know_ that Homunculi are inhuman...They have no true souls. Wait, what do you mean, "Miss Lyra was right"? What's she been telling you?" he added with a slight snap, anger towards the woman building in his gut to squirm uneasily with guilt.

Despair began to realize that he hated Edward now more than he ever had before since Dante had brought him to life. That hate burned inside and surged through his body reaching towards his throat. He nearly choked.

"She told me all about you. How you and your brother threw my life away so you could be together! _How do you think it feels, Edward?! I have no soul because you stole it from me!"_

"Ed would never sacrifice someone's life to gain anything. It isn't his fault for _your_ death." Alphonse said in a lowered voice, as he clenched his left fist. Al became even more uncomfortable; it was hard to look the homunculus in the eyes. When he did, he felt a strike of pang and unstableness, not being able to make any movements. He stood beside his brother, strong, trying to overcome the bad feelings he was experiencing.

Edward felt a harsh stab at his heart; even though he knew it wasn't his fault that Alfons had died, it hurt immensely to be accused of it.

"Why the hell would I sacrifice you?!" he protested, feeling a sickening swoop of anger as he thought of Dante's lies. "You were my best friend in Munich...Remember? You helped me when I had nowhere to go, you let me stay with you! We worked together on the rockets, and you never turned me away when I told my "eccentric" stories..." Ed trailed off, his own voice catching in his throat as he remembered the good times he'd had with Alfons, and now looking at what had happened to him...Somehow, he couldn't help but feel now that maybe it WAS partially his fault...

Marta's gaze shifted back and forth between her friend who had been made into a homunculus and Edwards brother nearby... A shudder went through her and her throat felt dry... She had been unable to fully convince Alfons/Despair of the truth, that Edward was not responsible for his death and that this Lyra was bad news, but she hoped desperately that Edward could.

Despair clenched his fists. Part of him thought they wanted him to believe that Edward had nothing to do with his death so that he would trust him, only to betray him again! What was the betting that considering he was now no longer human, Edward would want him destroyed? The other part of him desperately tried to hold him back. This was pointless. Couldn't he see? It wasn't Ed's fault. The voice was swiftly silenced, desperately pleading to the last, to see sense.

"Don't lie to me, Edward. You saw that the only way to get back to your real brother was through getting rid of me! And in any case, what should I do now? Since you know that I'm an inhuman monster, you'll just want to destroy me. Well I'm not giving you that chance!"

Edward grimaced. Truthfully, for a moment he had been trying to recall the seal for a Homunculus, but as soon as Despair accused him of it, it fled his mind and left a lump of guilt on top of the already piling up amount.

"I'm not lying!" Edward snapped, frustrated as the accusations mounted. "And if you want to know the truth, I thought Alphonse had stayed behind in my own home when I left it! I didn't even plan on him being here with me..." He trailed off again, grateful beyond reason that Alphonse had followed him, even if he had scolded him at first. Marta was a good friend, yes, but without his brother or Alfons, life would have been very lonely for him.

After hearing how Despair was acting towards Edward, Alphonse grew frustrated with him. All these lies the homunculus has been told, he thought, who would do such a thing? He immediately jumped into the conversation again, standing up for his brother.

"Yes, If it's anyone's fault, it's mine..." He muttered, looking to the ground. He started to feel weary mentally and physically, so he took a deep breathe, and shook it off. "Your accusations are wrong, brother didn't do this to you," he said firmly. "Ed and Alfons were friends, he wouldn't have hurt you...Why are you doing this to us?"

Despair sighed, letting his head fall down for a moment before looking back up at himself.

"But what if I can't trust you? You tell me that Dante..." he remembered her instructions regarding her name and mentally scolded himself. "...Miss Lyra is lying to me and that you're innocent. But she told me that you betrayed me, and that you would lie to deceive me. And then I hear Edward saying that Homunculi are inhuman... so who am I supposed to believe?"

Edward glanced at Alphonse and his expression softened for a moment. "Al, none of this is your fault," he murmured before turning back to Despair. "Believe what you want," Edward replied, a little sharper than he had intended. "But I stand by what I said before: Homonculi aren't human. And if you think Dante's gonna make you human even for a second, you're dead wrong."

Marta cringed inwardly at hearing the heated exchange between her three friends. She knew Edward and Alphonse were only being honest, but at this rate they would make Alfons/Despair angrier and more hateful towards them then he already was.  
"Guys," she hissed warningly under her breath, don't overdo it now." But they weren't paying attention.

It was good to hear Edward tell Alphonse nothing is his fault, but part of him still believed that somewhat it is. Would all of this be happening if Al weren't here? If he didn't open the gate and try so hard to get his only brother back, would Alfons still be alive, living happily with Edward? Thoughts were scanning through his mind as he was standing still. He reminded himself_, he needs to be strong, and forget about the past for now, and worry about the present time being._

"He's right...your not human." He said, as his eyes narrowed down. "No matter how hard you try, you'll _never_ be." It was hard to reiterate that to the homunculus for Al, but he wanted him to comprehend that through his mind.

Despair's stomach tensed. He cried inwardly as all self-control collapsed from within. Eyes, fists and teeth closed firmly as if the two brothers had just stabbed him. Then came a new emotion. Envy. This Alphonse was everything he wanted, and had everything he wanted.

A cry called out to him. Although his brother, his real brother was long gone, after being killed in a Zeppelin crash in London, he could almost hear him pleading.

_"NOOO!!!"_

Despair secretly didn't want this, but his whole body felt so good. He was standing with his hand choking around Alphonse's neck, having just hit him with that arm. His strength seemed to be more than human.

_"I... am... not..."_ his throat suddenly squeezed itself. _"...A MONSTER!!!"_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Alphonse was immediately shocked when Despair suddenly attacked him, by choking him fiercely. He didn't even have enough time to get into an offensive stance. He stood there, gasping for air. "Br..Brother!" He yelled, barely managing to speak. He tried forcing his way out of the hold, but the homunculus's strength was overwhelming. He felt so weak compared to Despair, but that didn't stop him trying to escape. He looked over at his brother, very weary, as his eyes were narrowing.

Marta knew it! She just _knew_ this would happen! Those two had waved a red flag in front of a bull!

"_A brokh tsu dir,_ Ed!" Marta shouted the curse as she and Edward ran forward to try to save Alphonse from his attacker...

This plan to investigate the Elrics had become a total disaster. Only one option left...

"I swear... I swear... I'll make you pay, Edward!" Despair shouted. A moment later he was gone.

Edward's eyes had widened like saucers when Despair began choking his brother.

_"No!"_ he shouted desperately as he tugged futilely at the Homunculus's arm. But in the next moment, he found himself clutching at air as the two disappeared. Ed stared at the empty space in disbelief and felt as though his heart had leaped into his throat. "Alphonse...?" he whispered shakily, shaking his head. _"ALPHONSE!_"

Marta in the meantime had been trying to pull Alphonse from Despairs grasp when she found herself clutching at nothing but air as well...

"No..." she whispered, just as shaken as Edward, as she stepped back in shock. "Alfons... Al..."

Edward grimaced, trying to restrain the panic and desperation that was welling up inside him.

"Al?!" he called out again, looking all around him as he stepped away from Marta. Unshed tears burned at his eyes and blurred his vision, but he refused to let them fall. "Alphonse, please answer me!" he called desperately.

Marta forced back her own tears and shook her head.

"You won't find him that way, Ed." Then she narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, I hope you're satisfied," she hissed. "What were you thinking provoking him like that?"

Edward felt his temper flare viciously at that and he whirled on her, eyes blazing.

"At least I was _DOING_ something!" he snapped back. "I warned you not to let a Homunculus's face intimidate you, but did you listen? _No!_" He instantly felt contrite for his words, but he was too frustrated and anguished, knowing that every second that ticked by could be against his brother.

Marta's own temper was beginning to rise on par with Edwards!

"For your information, Elric," she snapped, "in the first place I had no idea Alfons would follow me to you guys. He asked me not to tell you about him because he was afraid it would hurt you! Though I see that was a wrong assumption! Secondly, I warned you two not to keep goading him like that, but did you listen? _No!_"

"It _DID_ hurt, alright?!" Edward shouted, the tears finally spilling over his eyes. "What kind of person do you think I am that I wouldn't be in pain to have one of my _best friends_ accuse me of killing him?" he said lowly, quickly brushing away the tears with his sleeve. "And lest you forget, he goaded back! I know you're set on defending Alfons, but that's _NOT WHO HE IS ANYMORE_!"

Marta swallowed the rising lump in her throat. Maybe Edward was right... Still... the expression on the homunculus's face, the look in his eyes when she'd tried to get him to remember earlier... that had told her he was more then just an inhuman thing...

"This is just like you, isn't it, Ed?" she said, lowering her voice. "It's easier to focus on your own goals if you convince yourself everything and everyone else around you isn't real and doesn't matter. Even before, I remember Alfons saying how you told him he and this world were just a dream, just figments of your own imagination. I don't know why this surprises me now."

Edward's eyes widened a bit at that and he felt as thought he'd been punched in the gut.

"What are you saying Marta...?" he whispered. "That I don't think you and Alfons mattered...?"

Marta sighed and ran her fingers through her hair at Edwards hurt expression. She hadn't meant to make him feel like that.

"All I'm saying is that for two years all we heard from you was 'this world isn't be real' and 'those people can't be real' or 'this all must be just a dream I'm having'." Here the tears she had tried to hold back released themselves and she roughly wiped them from her face. "I know..." she started before clearing her throat, "I know Alfons isn't the same guy we knew... but he's still as much a victim in all of this as your brother is..."

Edward felt a squirm of guilt at that, and he sighed a bit.

"I know...I seemed convinced that this world was just an illusion and that somehow I could get back home," he admitted. "I only told myself those things because I didn't want to get attached...I was terrified that if I got too close to this world, I would start forgetting about my own and I didn't want that to happen...Marta," he met her eyes squarely. "Remember when I told you about the last time I saw Alfons? When he launched me in that rocket so I could get back to my own world...? Before he set it off, he told me something...He told me that he wasn't just a part of my dreams, like I had thought..." His voice was just a little above a murmur, "He said that he cared and he made mistakes...He knew he was going to die soon, I think, because he said that he may not be around for much longer and that he didn't want me to forget him...And I never will. But this Homunculus is different...You don't have to tell me twice that he's a victim, too; I saw what happened to the Homunculi in my own world. They were manipulated and fooled. It's Dante's specialty," he said bitterly. "I could sense a sort of doubt in him, the same doubt that Lust had for a while. She helped us and was killed for it. I didn't want the same thing to happen to him." His throat felt choked and he tried futilely to make it relax. "Not again."

Marta smiled sadly.

"That sounds like something Alfons would say. Ever the idealist." Then she shook her head. "I never should have let him accept Hess's offer to sponsor the project. You know, when Alfons found out he was... well... he practically begged me not to tell you because he didn't want to load more emotional baggage on you." Here she paused and clenched her fists in resolve. "So, are we going to just stand here and keep arguing like two Rabbis over the _Torah_ or are we going to this Lyra or Dante's place? I don't know anything about the homunculus in your world, but maybe we can save this one _and_ Al."

Edward nodded firmly, his own eyes blazing with renewed determination.

"Lead the way to Lyra's," he gestured with a faint smirk. In the back of his mind, he was glad that Alfons hadn't told him of his illness when he had first noticed his constant coughing. If he had, Edward would have felt terrible about it. All the same, he wished he'd had warning of it. _Oh well_, he thought. _What's done is done. Focus on the now_.

"I remember the way to that place," Marta agreed as they started down the street. "It should be only ten to twenty minutes outside Munich."

As she walked, she placed her hands in her pockets and felt the closed pocket knife inside... Somehow, this Lyra or Dante was going to pay for what she'd done to her three friends.

"That witch is going to wish she'd never set foot in this world," she muttered.

Edward nodded at her words, then chuckled as he heard what she spoke under her breath. "I thought the same thing when I first met her. First impressions say a lot sometimes, and the one she gave me was sickening, to say the least."

* * *

Meanwhile, the two Als were huddled together outside Munich, standing in the cold. Despair seemed to not mind it one bit. He lost his footing and suddenly collapsed to the ground, before firmly picking himself up with his hands, which were covered in the mud.

Alphonse quickly fell to his knees, with both hands firmly on the ground. He started choking, trying to obtain his normal breathing back. He took deep breaths, then exhaled slowly. After a moment, he lifted himself off the ground, still weary from the situation. Under his eyes, were slightly dark circles. He glanced around, not knowing where he was at the time, and started to shiver from the coldness. He placed his left hand on his right arm, and his right hand on his left arm, hugging himself for warmth. He then looked at Despair.

"Why...why did you do this?" He said shakily, with fear peeking through. "You're being lied to...why can't you face the truth?"

Despair straightened himself up.

"I have..." he sighed. "Edward is a traitor. Even when Dante told me so, I still thought she could be wrong. I had to find out for myself, so I came here, to you. And I was wrong." he said. "It's all well for you and him, once you've gotten rid of Dante and me you'll go on living _happily ever after,"_ he mocked, "...won't you? You should choose whether to worry about Miss Lyra, who plans to kill you both, or me, who is still considering it. I promise I won't if I don't have to, but seeing as your precious big brother now sees me as subhuman, I may have to if he tries to get his way..." he looked down. Something else was on his mind…

Alphonse stood there, listening to Despair speak. A lot was going through his mind at the time.

"There are no 'happy endings' in mine and my brother's life. You don't know what we've been through." He said, as his eyes narrowed. "When Ed and I were separated from each other, there wasn't one day I rested. I was determined to get him back, _no matter what the cost_," he paused, "Once I saw him again...everything seemed brighter," his eyes softened at the last words he spoke. "What I'm saying is, Ed is a good person...and he wouldn't have hurt you," he reiterated. "From what my brother has informed me, he said Alfons was like a brother to him...He reminded him of me." He said. "Please believe me..." He moved on to the next subject, before he let his emotions get the best of him.  
"_Lyra is the one who should be dead right now..._" he said beneath his breath. "She is the one who's behind all of this, so we should concentrate on her." He said, angrily. "But first, I want to go back with my brother and Marta, so we can discuss it." He already missed Edward, and was worried he wouldn't see him again. He hoped Despair would return him. It was uncomfortable for Al, as he had just been choked by the homunculus, and now making conversation for the moment. Although Despair wasn't attacking Alphonse right now, he still maintained cautiously around him.

"You're not going anywhere." Despair informed. "You're coming with me to Dante's mansion, whether you like it or not..." he trailed off, looking up the rocky slope. In front of him a mansion was vaguely visible in the distance. He stared out into space, thinking about Alphonse's words. A tear could almost be seen on the dead boy's cheek. "You don't know what I've been through either..." he muttered. "I was told I welcomed Edward because more than anything else, he reminded me a lot of my older brother. His name was Eduard too, I think… I remember something about him going to London and never coming back... I think that was back during the Great War... I grew up without him. I think I even remember dreaming about him, and sometimes I would see myself searching for him. That was shortly after I met your brother." His tone changed, realizing he'd been caught off-guard. He turned back to Al. "You see, you have no idea what it's like. I had no family then, and I have none now!"

After Alphonse heard the homunculus tell a small part of his life story, he saw a soft side to him peeking through. He felt as almost they were the same. When Despair told him he didn't know what it's like to lose someone, he disagreed.

"Your assumption is wrong. Actually, I do..." Alphonse said, in a sadly tone of voice, looking towards the ground. Mixed emotions were building up inside of him; it was hard to control all of them at one time. "I know what it's like to not have a father or mother..." He said quietly. "Ed and I never had a_ 'normal' _childhood...Our father was never home, and when our mother died...we were left with only each other." He said, as his eyes started to fill with water. He looked up at Despair, and quickly wiped the tears that fell. There was a lot of sadness dwelling inside of him, and anger deep beneath the surface. It was painful to reminisce about the past for Al. He straightened his back and met Despair's eyes, "I won't lose my brother again. I promise anyone who tries, will regret it." He said sternly, clenching his left fist. He then looked into the distance of the mansion, "If I have no choice, then let's go." He was determined to face Dante/Lyra. He was ready for the next step, of getting rid of her. Even though it wasn't going to be easy and pretty. Alphonse also hoped Edward and Marta would be heading to the mansion as well. Then they could reunite there....

Despair looked back at him as they began to traverse the steep slope. They were the same, he thought. Except this Alphonse hadn't quite lost everything yet. Still, he had to take him to Miss Lyra as a prisoner.

Alphonse followed Despair, quietly. He had a lot on his mind at the moment. He could feel the homunculus's pain, dwelling inside of him. The feelings Despair had were humanly, he almost forgot that he wasn't human. He felt sorry for him, but he reminded himself that he is only a homunculus.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dante helped Noa into one of her finest dresses; almost similar to the one she had lent that other girl, Rose.

"Very lovely," she commented approvingly. "You have gained a little more weight so now you fill this dress perfectly."

What a fine way to celebrate the making of the new Philosophers Stone; A brand new voluptuous body, certain to turn the head of the eldest son of Hohenheim. And in this world, with the stone, it would not rot! At least not as rapidly as this current one!

Noa nodded at her comment "Thank you. I can't wait for Edward to get here," she said looking at herself in the dress.

Dante then took Noas' arm and guided her out of her room, across the large hallway and down an elegant fight of stairs. From there, music could be heard, and they continued to follow the music until they reached the mansions ballroom... It wasn't nearly as big as the one back under Central in Amestris, but it was just as elegant, and for less then a handful of people of would do nicely...

Noa looked around in surprised "Wow! It's so beautiful! Is he going to find me here?" Then she started to dance to the music by moving her hips.

"Yes, of course, Noa, dear," Dante replied with a smile. "Despair should be giving Edward the 'invitation' to come very soon, and then you will see him." Then she clapped her hands once, quite pleased. "So just wait here and enjoy, dear."

If everything worked out as she expected they would, soon she would have everything she deserved and had been cheated out of before; The Philosophers Stone, a gorgeous new young body, immortality, and the eldest son of Hohenheim...

Still smiling, she glanced over to the area of the ballroom floor where she had cut a new transmutation circle earlier... The same array that had been used to seal Greed and any other homunculus that opposed her... If her newest minion, Despair, did as he was told, then she might seriously consider using a part of the stone to make him human, but if not then she would just have to deal with him as she had with the other rebellious homunculus...

Noa smiled and she continued to dance to the music without a care in the world, completely oblivious as to what was going to happen to her.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Despair stopped for a second, though he didn't seem tired. He had something he wanted to say.

"Listen, Alfons Elric... I need you to tell me, when you look at me, what do you see?" he asked turning to face him.

Alphonse stopped and looked at Despair eye to eye. He didn't quite understand what he meant by what does he see, so he just said what he thought. "_I see myself...when I look at you_." He said quietly, then looked away from him. "It's like I'm talking to my own reflection." He said, pausing for a long moment, then continuing to look back at him. "...I'm sorry, things had to turn out this way for you." He said in a comforting voice. "You didn't deserve to be created as a homunculus..."

Despair suddenly looked shy. He sighed and forgot the conversation.  
"Come on, the mansion's just up ahead." he said to change the subject. But he couldn't keep all of it in, so he added something as an afterthought.  
"You didn't deserve what happened to you either..." he muttered and remained silent, intending to remain so for the rest of the journey.

Alphonse nodded, and began to follow Despair. He sneakily looked at Despair from behind, slightly smiling at him. Those last words the homunculus spoke were meaningful to Al. They were a lot alike, he thought....

Dante was now back watching from her parlour window and she smiled broadly when she saw her newest minion leading his near mirror image towards the mansion. This must be the younger of the Elrics, Alphonse, the one who mostly resembled that woman; Trisha while Edward so resembled Hohenheim. Now the elder son would be sure to come.

A few short minutes passed and the mansion drew nearer. Despair eventually stopped at the gates to open them. Making a cautionary turn to see if Alphonse was still there, he went inside and gestured him to follow.

They had already arrived at the mansion and were entering the front courtyard. Dante left the window and made her way down the stairs, out the front doorway and into the courtyard to meet them.

"Well done, Despair," she congratulated her newest minion. "Now the elder brother will be sure to follow suite. I've already prepared everything for him.

Alphonse cringed when Lyra entered the courtyard. Anger was brewing inside of him as time was going by. _"Why isn't she dead..."_, he thought inwardly. She's causing all of this commotion; he wanted to end it forever. He clenched his left fist and glared into her eyes. "_Dante_..." He muttered. The sight of her turned his stomach.

Despair watched his other self. It made him nervous.

Dante gestured for Despair to hold the boys wrists to keep him from either fighting back or running off, then she smiled at the youngest Elric. The last time she had seen him, he had been but a soul trapped inside a giant suit of armour, fused with the Philosophers Stone. She could still remember how angry she'd been when the boy had used up the last bit of it.

"Hello again, Alphonse Elric," she greeted him sweetly, meeting his angry gaze. "My my, haven't we changed in two years. You are almost as handsome as your father and brother."

Alphonse smirked at Lyra's last words. "I get that all the time." He said, then continued. "You haven't changed one bit, still disturbing as ever." He paused, "You should be dead right now." Memories struck him of the past. She was still the same evil hearted person. Causing people to suffer and dwindle into nothing. And now created Despair, a homunculus that didn't deserve to be put in to this world. He wasn't going to let any of this happen anymore. "Me and my brother will end this...for good." He said determinedly, keeping his glare at her.

Still smiling, Dante placed a finger under Alphonse's chin and gently lifted his head up. Both Elric brothers should have died several times over as well, so she supposed that was something they had in common.

"Interesting, I believe your father said the same thing. But really, you don't think you're any different from me, do you?"

"Don't start a fight." Despair urged silently and pleadingly. "It'll be better off for you if you co-operate." He leant closer to whisper something in his ear. "Trust me... I'll get you out of here. Just don't get her riled."

Alphonse's eyes widened for a brief moment at Lyra's last phrase. He then narrowed them quickly, cringing his eyebrows. "Yes, I am different from you." He said. "I may have made some wrong decisions in the past, but at least I didn't lead a pack of homunculi. Ordering them to steal innocent people's lives, and using them as pawns for your own benefit...Only a sick person would do that." Al stopped right there, after hearing what Despair whispered to him. He nodded, hoping he was telling the truth.

At this, Dante shook her head as a teacher might at an incredibly stubborn and slow pupil.

"I have told both of you before, do you not listen? I am the guardian, the shepherd of sins. I must live on in order to protect mankind from itself, weather in this world or in ours. The homunculus like Despair are those whom I have given another chance at living, and in return for my generosity and care they aid me in my task." Then she waved her hand airily, speaking now to her new minion. "Despair, dear, you poor thing. This boy comes to _your_ world draped in _your_ appearance and takes over what should be _your _life, now he and his brother would deny you the chance to gain back everything you lost because of them. How cruel"

Despair thought about this for a moment, feeling awkwardly as if the lights were on him. Time to decide. He grizzled, feeling guilty that he wasn't doing something else.

Alphonse couldn't stand the lies Lyra was telling Despair. He was hoping the homunculus didn't believe anything that came out of her rancid mouth. "Don't listen to her, Despair. She would sacrifice you in order to gain something in return for herself, not even thinking about it twice. Believe me, I know." He said, lowering his tone.

At this, Dante laughed airily. "Nonsense. It's you and your brother who preach the whole naive concept of equivalent exchange, not me," she contradicted. "This world is as chaotic and senseless as our own, with no equivalence. There are those who give everything and still gain nothing, while others have everything without ever having to lift a finger for it. I shall have to repeat this lesson to Edward. Now, Despair," she continued, "I want you to take this one to the room next to the ballroom and bring him in when I say. Is that understood?"

"Understood." Despair half grumbled, and motioned for Al to follow him out, slightly pushing him.

"There's a good lad," Dante approved with a satisfied smile. "Keep this up and we will both get what we want. Just remember to bring Alphonse into the ballroom when I say."

Alphonse narrowed his eyes, giving Lyra one last significant glance. In his eyes shown anger, sadness, and determination of getting rid of her, all mixed together in one. He just wanted it all to end. He then looked away from her, and quietly walked along with Despair to the room.

* * *

As he and Marta walked, Edward had to practically chew his lip just to keep the stream of profanities he wanted to shout from getting out. True, Al had been kidnapped before by a Homunculus, but Greed had been different. He hadn't meant to harm Alphonse, just wanted to know how to be immortal. Then again, he could have easily hurt him, Ed thought. But in the end, he had helped them instead.

This new Homunculus...he wasn't sure about it. His mind reeled, and he couldn't help but size him up to the other Homunculi he had seen. He was unsure of his memories, like Sloth had been, which made him anxious because that meant he might really try to kill them just to prove Lyra right...and sealing Alfons was not something he wanted to do...But he was also caught between Lyra and helping them, which reminded him a bit of Lust again. And he REALLY didn't want Alfons sacrificing himself for them...

"Either way, this ain't gonna be pretty," Edward thought out loud, barely aware that he had spoken.

"No, it's not," Marta agreed. Funny, _Vati_ had been in the Great War; he'd been shot at, attacked with with bayonetts, escaped bombings, but somehow what was going on right now seemed a whole lot more nerve wracking!  
"I hate to say this, Ed," she continued with a rueful smile, "but now I'm actually starting to believe these stories of yours!"

Edward smiled bitterly at that. "It's too bad that it took all of this to even make you consider those stories being true, though...I would've listened to you if I'd thought he go for Al," he said quietly.

In response, Marta gave him a halfhearted chuckle. "Well, you didn't believe in Einstein's theories at first, and they're less far fetched sounding then the idea of parallel worlds where everyone has a double..." Then her face grew sombre... "Ed, do you mind if I ask you something?..."

"Einstein's a quack," Ed snorted. "No one believes him, it's not just me." In the back of his mind, he remembered sorting through different files with his father and they mentioned Einstein. He had replied with the same thing, "No one believes him". He shook his head a little and looked to Marta, curious at her sudden change of tone. "Sure, what is it?"

Marta smiled sadly to herself as she thought of all the times she and Alfons had debated the old scientists theories with Edward. How exactly like Ed! There were parallel worlds where alchemy could eclipse modern chemistry and physics, homunculus and chimeras existed, but E = mc2 was stuff for quacks!

"You say most people you've seen here have a double in this other world of yours, right? What was the Marta in your world like?"

Edward's eyes softened a bit and he looked ahead, thinking. "Well...she was a lot like you, from what I remember of her. I didn't know her as well as Alphonse did; they bonded pretty fast. She was really strong-willed and stubborn as heck," he chuckled. "She was always a little bit bitter about being made into a chimera, but she tried to find a way to deal with it. She was with Greed when we found her; he was one of the Homunculi. She was really devoted to helping him, and because of Al smuggling her out, we would just have her hide in Alphonse's armour. That way she was safe and no one knew she was in there... When Marta was killed inside his armour by the _Fuhrer_, he was devastated... I think it took its toll on him like Nina's death did for me... For a while, he was real quiet, but that silence spoke more than his words could." He turned to her again and smiled faintly. "Seeing you probably lifted his spirits by a lot. He may not say it, but he's really glad to have you with us. It's like seeing his best friend again."

"Yeah, Al mentioned something about her being killed earlier..." Marta shuddered inwardly at the thought. It was like discovering a grave with your own name on it... "That would explain the nightmares I guess..." Then she quickly changed the subject. "Do you think we can help this Noa girl too?"

Edward was not one to miss the swift change of subject, but he didn't try to press her about the dream, merely going with the flow of it.

"It really just depends," he said lowly. "If Dante hasn't completely gotten to her yet, then yeah, there should still be some hope for her. After all, Rose was completely out of it when I saw her, and it took..." he hesitated, "took me getting hurt to snap her out of it. I hope it doesn't come to anything as drastic as that to help Noa, because if it did, I probably wouldn't...recover...But if she's like Rose was, she's not going to be the Noa that I know," he said softly. "I just hope Dante hasn't decided to put a new twist on her sick games and turned her against me, too. Alfons, yeah, I could force myself to fight if I really had to. But Noa...? There's no way..."

It took Edward getting hurt to snap this Rose girl out of a trance? Marta didn't like the sound of that, and she'd be damned if that had to happen to get Noa back to normal.

She remembered the Roma girl saying something about how she couldn't wait for Edward to come, sounding like some kind of smitten schoolgirl...

"When I was there, Noa said something about being sold and never having any place to belong until this Dante or Lyra witch took her in... Yeah, that was all mind tricks, but I can understand how she must have felt. The so-called fuehrer and his goons want to wipe both of us out." By now it was darkening and the mid November chill was upon them... In the far distance Marta could just make out the silhouette of that mansion with all it's lights on... "Look, there it is, Ed," she said, pointing.

Edward squinted slightly and nodded. "Looks about right," he mumbled, thinking to himself that at least she hadn't found another underground city to use or something like that. "But Noa wasn't making that stuff up. She explained to me how Roma don't have a true home; they're always on the move. When I met her, it was at that carnival, and she had tried to hide under the sheet covering the rocket. I remember when I tried to fight them off; they said something like "We bought this gypsy fair and square." Earlier, Alfons and I had actually gotten a ride in the back of a truck with Noa and the other gypsies she traveled with. She never said it out loud, but I think her 'friends' must have betrayed her. But if she's still talking sanely, then maybe she's not as deeply under her power as Rose was..."

Marta nodded. Even though it was a greedy thought, she hoped that all three, Alphonse, Alfons/Despair and Noa could be saved somehow...

"Well here goes nothing then," she said decisively as she broke into a run towards the mansions front gate. "Come on," she then gestured dryly, "last one there's an HJ pansy!"

Edward chuckled and ran after her, his eyes set ahead on the mansion. Anger and desperation burned inside him. If they'd harmed one hair on Alphonse's head...

Dante in the meantime was watching Edward and Marta from the top parlour window, smiling in satisfaction. Once again, it had only taken the appropriate bait to bring the eldest son of Hohenhiem to her.

The gate to the mansion was unlocked as she had ordered, so Edward and this girl who so resembled that dead chimera would be able to enter and find their way to the ballroom easily.

Marta arrived at the gate first and blinked in surprise when she saw the lock was undone.

"Ed, look," she said, opening the gate slowly, warily. "Why do I have a feeling we were expected here?"

Edward looked surprised at first, then his eyes narrowed. He looked at the mansion as if he was staring right at Lyra.

"Because we _are_...And if I remember right, I know exactly where we need to go," he half-growled, walking ahead.

_Deja vu_ kept flashing through his head as he remembered the last time he had done this, in the underground city of Central. Rose dancing, cradling her crying baby, Envy...A shiver ran down his spine and he sub-consciously tightened his fists. He was surprised the gaping wound hadn't left any scars, even after Alphonse had healed him.

They came to the front door of the mansion, and after a small push, found the door wasn't locked either...

"You've done this before then, haven't you?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Unfortunately, yes," he replied without turning back to look at her. "I told you, the same thing happened with my friend, Rose...Almost the exact same thing..."

"Same crap, different package then," Marta nodded. She could tell the memory of that bothered him, so she didn't press him any further.

They opened the front door, which revealed a long and elegant hallway and staircase...

Down the hallway, to her surprise, Marta could hear the faint sound of classical ballroom music playing...

Turning to Edward, she raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like we're right on time for the party."

Edward smiled bitterly. "She's not very original," he muttered, hearing the music now as well. "Just like you said: Same crap, different package," he sighed, glancing around. At least this place didn't look too much like the underground city's building had.

They warily followed the music down the hallway and up to the closed giant doors of the ballroom...

A scent, almost like a mans' cologne, caught Marta's nostrils...

"Hey, do you smell something, Ed?" she asked, placing her hand on the door and pausing...

Edward sniffed the air deeply, then wrinkled his nose. It was painfully familiar to him; he had remembered smelling a similar scent coming from Dante back in Lior, and even on his father. The smell still made his stomach churn.

"Cologne," he answered simply. "It's a long story..."

"I see." Marta wrinkled her own nose at that. Then she gestured to the ballrooms door. "Well, you ready?"

Edward nodded determinedly before turning the handle of the door and pushing through. He paused for a split second when he saw the beautiful ballroom, memories flooding his mind as well as the music.

Just as he had feared, Noa was there, dressed as beautifully as Rose had been and happily dancing with the music.

When she saw Edward and Marta, the Roma girl smiled radiantly at Edward, though her eyes held the familiar emptiness of hypnotism.

Gracefully, Noa approached the young man and took his hands before he could react,

"Edward, it's been so long. I've been waiting for you… for _us_," she said as though someone else was putting words into her mouth. "Come dance with me"


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Despair and Alphonse, now stuck waiting in a separate room, were left with nothing more than their own thoughts. As Despair wasn't liking his, he turned to Al hoping for enough time to ask him something.

"Hey..." he tried not to sound rude. "Can I ask you something?"

Alphonse stared at the ground; he had a lot on his mind at the moment. He knew Edward and Marta would be on their way, but he wondered how long it would be until they arrive. He then heard Despair ask him a question, so he lifted his head and looked him in the eyes. "Of course, what is it you want to ask me?" He said.

"You and Ed... What kind of experience have you had with Homunculi before? What makes you so sure they're so bad?"

Alphonse's eyes narrowed, as he looked to the ground. "Homunculi are punishments for our sin we have committed." He paused for a brief moment. "Bringing back humans from the dead...is that sin." He looked up at Despair, "Homunculi are not supposed to be considered a good thing, no matter whom they resemble." An image of Sloth appeared in his memories. He felt uneasy inside, but he continued on with the conversation. "Ed and I encountered with a lot of them. I tried to protect one, even though she was trying to kill me and my brother." He said in a disappointed tone. "I don't know what I was thinking back then, but Ed made me realize that she _wasn't_ human." He stopped for a moment, turning away from Despair. "I knew a couple of homunculi who had a good side to them...One _sacrificed_ himself for me, so I could reunite with my brother." His voice shook. "It doesn't change who they are though. They have taken countless innocent people's lives." He said firmly, straightening his back. "They are..._murderers_." Al said in a quietly voice.

Despair narrowed his eyes. "I see... " He asked, thinking about what Al had said. "I know what you were thinking about back then. I know because some people in this country say the same of Jews and Roma. You were thinking that as long as they are just like you, then they still are people with feelings. But what if I never harmed or killed anyone? Does that still mean I'm inhuman?"

Alphonse turned towards Despair again, looking him in the eyes. "I do see a good side to you, Despair." He said, as his eyes softened, with a slight smile. "I wish Lyra didn't do this to you, and make you suffer..." He paused, and his smile began to fade, as he continued to talk. "But you have to face what you really are. It doesn't matter if you haven't killed anyone. As much as it hurts, or saddens you. You're always going to be a _homunculi_..." He said quietly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Despair sighed in response. He choked back a tear and tried to make it look like he was coughing.

Alphonse noticed the disappointment in Despair's facial expressions and tone of voice. He truly, felt sorry for him, and what he's been going through.

"Are you okay?" He said concernedly, after hearing him cough.

"It's nothing." The homunculus replied firmly.

* * *

Edward seemed to relax with relief that Noa was, for the most part, okay. He hesitated before taking her hand, painfully aware that Marta was watching and feeling like this was the worst _deja vu_ he could imagine.

"I've waited all this time for you. There's something I have to tell you" Noa said smiling.

Edward suppressed a cringe, thinking he had a good idea of what she might say. "Y-you do?"

"Yes, I love you, Edward," Noa said smiling as they began to dance.

Edward sighed softly at the hollow, dictated words. "Noa, we're just friends..." he said quietly.

Marta frowned as she watched the two of them; Noa trying to get Edward to dance with her and Edward trying to reason with her.  
She had already guessed the Roma girl had no idea what she was saying, and somehow she had to snap out of it, but how could they do it this time? If they didn't, poor Ed would have allot of explaining to do to that Winry girl from his world he was always talking about!

"Edward," Noa said smiling as they made their way across the dance floor, "I've been waiting for you all this time.

Unnoticed, Dante stood in the shadows and watched as history seemed to be repeating itself. Well, no large matter; If she could not get Edward to love Noas' body enough to create the Philosophers Stone for her, there were other ways to persuade him... Right now, she would wait and watch...

"Heh! Maybe you should kiss her, Ed," Marta suggested jokingly. "That might snap her out of it."

Edward's cheeks coloured at Marta's remark and he shot her a glare as they danced. He was more than a little anxious; not only was he trying to distract Noa long enough to figure out what to do, but he was remembering that he wasn't all that good at dancing and was trying to avoid stepping on her feet or even his own.

"Did you happen to see my brother?" he asked in the same low murmur, realizing that she probably wouldn't have known Al was his brother even if she'd seen him. They bore resemblance enough, true, but Al took after their mother more in looks.

At this, Dante stepped out of the shadows, already dressed in her finest and reeking of Hohenheims scent.

"Really Edward," she purred, "A beautiful ballroom, soft music, a lovely girl, and all you can think about is Alphonse?" She chuckled lightly at the shocked look on both Edwards and Marta's faces which contrasted with Noas' cowed expression. "You certainly haven't changed."

Edward looked startled at first but scowled, looking her squarely in the eye. "And you haven't changed much either," he said lightly. "Still reeking of that stupid cologne and wearing those frilly dresses."

Dante laughed airily as she sauntered over to Edward and Noa.  
"Oh, dear, dear, Edward," she smiled, "you really are like your father, right down to the women you reject. Still, I suppose that was why I always took such special interest in you." Then she beckoned for Noa to come to her. "Come, Noa, dear."

He narrowed his eyes and looked from Noa to Dante, hoping against hope that Noa wouldn't follow her. "Don't compare me to him," he said simply. Even if he had made amends with Hohenheim, he still didn't like being compared to him. Half because during those two years they had seen each other, Edward hadn't been able to figure out what he would have done in his father's position all those years ago. Would he have left his family to avoid hurting them? Because of this unanswered question, he still had some bitter feelings left.

"I'll give you one thing, you're good at picking girls who are prettier than you are to try to lure me with. But Rose, Noa, they're just friends of mine."

Noa obeyed Dante and came away from Edward, still in her trance and confused by what everyone was talking about.

"Ooo, you're breaking my heart again, Edward, dear," Dante crooned, draping her arm around Noa. Then she slowly drew one long slender finger down Noas' face to her shoulder. "I was so looking forward to taking this girls exquisite body and being loved by the son of Hohenheim." Then she shrugged. "Well, no matter, once you make the Philosophers Stone for me and I have this new body, I should be able to entice any number of young men."

At this, Marta gasped and she clenched her hands angrily.  
"So that's what this is all about!" she hissed. "Getting Ed to make this stone just so you can have another body?!"

"Oh, that's only half of it, dear," Dante answered sweetly. "This also gives immortality, and I must live on in order to keep mankind from doing more damage then it already has. Just think of how much worse the last war would have been if humans possessed the stone... and how much worse the coming war would be..."

Edward's fists clenched as she spoke, his glare sharpening.

"Have you not seen the damage caused by creating the Philosopher's Stone?" he snarled. "You and my father put a whole city off the map just so you could survive. You don't deserve to live after everything you've done! What the hell makes you think that I'll make that stupid Stone for you?!"

Dante smirked. How quickly Edward forgot things when he was angry!  
"As I said, we were worth it, fair son of Hohenheim. A few cities to keep the stone out of mankind's grasp and prevent worse chaos in the world is the necessary price. Besides," she added, "unlike the last time, there's no way out of it." Then she clapped her hands three times. "Despair, dear," she called, "please bring our guest here now."

Despair raised his head as he heard Dante's command.  
"Come on." he nudged Alphonse. He pleaded desperately in his mind for him not to struggle or make a fuss. Maybe he and Edward might even beat Dante anyway. But he chided himself for thinking that about her, as he still wasn't sure about anything.

Edward looked confused for a moment, then his heart plummeted as he remembered that somewhere, she had Alphonse. He tensed, eyes flitting around frantically as he tried to catch a glimpse of his brother or Despair

Alphonse nodded, then he started to walk beside Despair to the other room. His heart started pounding rather quickly, as he didn't quite know what to expect. Though, he was ready for anything Dante planned on doing. No one was going to separate Edward and Alphonse from each other this time.

Al and Despair appeared before them, with Al's arms behind his back.

Marta glared angrily at this Dante witch and the hypnotized Roma girl, but drew a shocked breath and felt her throat tighten when she saw Alfons/Despair enter the ballroom... He had seized Alphonse's arms behind his back and was leading the boy in the way she'd seen a cop grab a suspect once...

As Alphonse was taken to the large room, his eyes went straight to his brother and Marta. "Brother, Marta..." He said with a relief. His mood brightened at the site of them, which made him even stronger inside.

Edward's eyes locked on his brother and Despair, a mix of relief and anger flooding through him. He was relieved that Alphonse wasn't hurt, but he was furious at how Despair was restraining his arms. "So that's it, is it...?" Edward growled lowly, glancing at Dante. "Blackmail?"

Dante had to smirk at that. "Why, heavens no, Edward, dear," she purred, "It's your favourite theory, equivalent exchange. You give me Munich to create the Philosophers Stone and we give you back your precious brother." She gestured to the beginning end of the array on the floor, the array that went underground through Munich. "That's perfectly fair."

"What's so fair about it?" Marta demanded angrily. "All the lives in Munich for one?"

Dante raised an eyebrow. "My dear, if you could have seen what I saw when I came through The Gate myself, you would thank me for this."

Marta narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Munich is already a hotbed of Right Wing politics," Dante answered coolly, "but in little over a decade it will again become a Nazi stronghold, and they will not lose the next time. You, Noa and both your peoples will know a hell far worse then anything you've experienced before."

At this, Marta's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. "No! No, that can't be true!"

"It is," Dante contradicted. "And don't even get me started on what happened to the other Marta because she went out of her way to help the Elrics."

"Leave her alone!" Edward half-shouted, feeling a defensive flare at the fear that spread through Marta at Dante's words. "Marta's got nothing to do with this, leave her out of it! I'm not about to sacrifice a whole town of people, people I've come to know for the past two years, just so you can keep living!"

Alphonse's eyes widened at Dante's last words. A flashback struck him for a brief moment, as he was remembering the death of the Marta in their world. Every time he thought about it, he felt pain and sorrow drifting upon him. "Don't you dare lay one hand on Marta." He said loudly. "She has nothing to do with this."

_Asheynem dank!_ Marta cast appreciative glances at Ed and Al. They were wrong about one thing though; anything that involved her city and her friends involved her too!

"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it. The Roma and the Jews are survivors," she growled. "We've dealt with hate against us before and we'll do it again no matter what happens ten or twenty years from now! We're not letting you use that as an excuse to play God and make this city a sacrifice!"

Dante frowned. This girl wasn't vulnerable or easy to manipulate as Rose or Noa had been. Still, there had to be a way to get at these three and make them cooperate willingly.

"The sacrifice of a city to save the world, I don't think that's such a high price to pay," she shrugged, "but it's your choice, Edward... I suppose you'll just have to get used to being an only child, and once the second war comes there should be a perfectly willing alchemist despairing enough to create the stone for me... However, I thought you were also interested in Thule's bomb from our world?..."

Ed felt like his heart missed a beat and his fists clenched tightly. "I swear, if you hurt my brother..." the boy snarled, livid at the very thought. His curiosity perked for a moment, remembering their mission was originally to find about the bomb. He hesitated, his inner scientist eager for information.

Noa, still in her trance, was hearing all this and still looking at Edward with a confused expression, not understanding any of this. Still, she remained by Dante's side.

"I am the only one who knows where the bomb from our world is right now," Dante explained with a smug look. Believe me, if that weapon were set off, it would cause even more destruction then just one little city like Munich..."

Marta shuddered inwardly, not liking the sound of where this was heading.

"Like I said," the choice is up to you," Dante continued. "Alphonse for Munich and the Philosophers Stone... or..." her voice trailed off, driving the point home...

At this, Despair gulped.

Marta narrowed her eyes at Despair who still had a tight grip on Alphonse.

"And you're going along with all this, right?" she demanded, her fists clenching in both pain and anger. "How could you?"

Edward grimaced, clenching his fists as he thought. He looked at Dante with burning eyes. "Do you honestly expect me to pick between the place that's become my home, all the people in it, or my brother?" he spat.

"Now you're catching on," Dante could barely hide her smirk. "Is it so different from before though, Edward? How many connected with you have suffered and died to bring the famous Elric Brothers to the top? Let's see, there was your mother, little Nina, Maes Hughes, Greed, Loa, Dorchet, Marta and the rest of their group, there was Lust, Sloth, even my dear student, Izumi, and her Wrath. But really, why stop there? Look what happened to your father and Alfons." She laughed darkly. "It's your precious equivalent exchange again; you profited, yet the others gained nothing for their losses. This is no different."

Edward felt his throat choke up for a moment as he recalled all those people who had died when they were involved. There hadn't been much they could have done to stop Nina's dying, Scar had found her before they could. But Hughes? He would have never dragged him into things if he'd known the Homunculi would kill him. Loa, Dorchet, they died so that Alphonse could escape with Marta. Marta had been killed by the _Fuhrer_ as soon as she'd told Al the truth about him...And Greed, even though Ed had killed him, he gave him information about the Homunculi and gave him the resolve he needed to get rid of them. Lust had died helping them. And he himself had killed Sloth. Teacher...her illness had gotten the better of her, and Wrath willingly sacrificed himself to help Alphonse and Edward to see each other again.

And their mother...His heart swelled with regret when he thought of her. If he could turn back the clocks, there was nothing else he wanted to change more than his mother's death. And what about Hohenheim? He'd let himself die to help the son that he knew was just beginning to trust him again. And Alfons had been shot for letting Edward take the rocket back to his world.

Edward's eyes drifted to Despair and he frowned before looking back to Dante. "Maybe you're right about their deaths..." he said quietly. "Even after all these years, I've never been able to decide that myself. But that doesn't mean that I'd let a whole city die!" In the back of his mind, however, doubt nagged him. If one city, just one, had been all it would have taken to bring Trisha back to life...would he have done it? Immediately, he rejected that idea. There would have been no way his young conscience would have let him. But he remembered how desperate he was for any solution at the time, as well....

Marta may not have known everything Edward and Alphonse went through back in their own world, but she _did_ know that this Dante witch was nothing but a manipulative liar. "Don't listen to her, Ed," she hissed, "she's just trying to mess with you like she tried with me."

Ignoring the girl, Dante continued smugly. "Or, I could have that bomb activated and _much_ more then just Munich would be destroyed, perhaps all of Berlin, even the whole of Bavaria. Like I said, Munich for your brothers safety and the safety of the rest of a bitter country destined to play the villain again in a far worse war."

Edward grimaced at the thought of all that destruction and he looked at the ground, unable to decide what to do. Either way, people would die, people he cared about. There has to be some way out of this, he thought in frustration, looking up again at Despair and Alphonse.

Alphonse listened to the conversation they were having. All he heard were lies spouting out of Dante's rancid mouth. Anger kept building up inside of him towards her. A lot of things were on his mind. When will she comprehend that dying is a part of life? It's a cycle humans all go through, we must not stop that. She doesn't care about anything else but herself, and she will kill thousands of people to obtain what she wants.

Alphonse looked over at his brother, wondering how they were going to get out of this situation. He wasn't to worried though, because Ed seems to always find another route to take. Al then cringed his eyebrows, and looked back over at Dante. "You think you have all the power in the world, but you don't." He said firmly. "Were not going to let _you_ make any more decisions."

"Just let her have what she wants!" Despair interrupted. "Munich might be destroyed but it could be worse if you let this war happen. I don't want to see anything happen to you two."

"No!" Marta snarled. "No! We're not doing anything this head case says! Nothing is going to be destroyed and nothing is going to happen to anybody!"

"Wise words for a mere homunculus," Dante answered approvingly, ignoring Marta. "Keep up this fine performance, Despair and we shall all get what we want. Edward shall have his brother, I shall have my immortality, and you will have your humanity back and your revenge on the ones responsible for the death of Alfons Heiderich."

Ed's fists clenched furiously as Dante spoke, scowling. "I'm no one's puppet," he spat. "I wasn't the state's, and I'll never be yours!" His eyes flickered to Despair and narrowed. "And you...You can believe what you want, but I've already told you that I had nothing to do with Alfonses death. But if you do try to kill me, I'll fight back without mercy."

"I'm not interested in fighting." He insisted. "At least Dante is prepared to negotiate about this, all you want is to crack open some heads!"

"Negotiate _what_?" Marta hissed in anger at the homunculuses naivety. "Either way, people are going to end up dead! Besides," she added, "Ed's right, he and Al aren't responsible for your death... _Dante is!_"

"I don't want to crack open anyone's head!" Ed snapped. "I just...want another way out..." he trailed off, looking as though he'd bitten something sour. "I don't want anyone to die or get hurt because of a choice that I make!"

Edward cut himself off, however, as the rest of Marta's words soaked in. "Wait...what?" He shook his head slightly, trying to wrap his frustrated mind around this revelation. He felt a hot swoop of anger in his belly as he glowered at Dante. "_You._..? _You_ did this to him!?" he half-shouted.

Dante smirked. "Whatever do you mean? I have no idea what you are talking about. Poor Alfons was shot by Hess because you and your brother sacrificed him to be together again."

_"Liar!" _Marta practically screamed. "Don't think I didn't read that note from Hess! He killed Alfons on _your_ orders! You wanted the whole team killed once the project was complete, either to cover yourselves up or to create a whole legion of homunculus slaves!" Here she struggled to fight back tears and keep her voice from shaking. "How could you? You monster! _He was only seventeen!_"

Dante scoffed at this. "And so what? The boy was dying anyhow, and if I use what's left of my new philosophers stone to turn Despair human, what does it matter?"

Alphonse gasped lightly, as Marta suddenly bursts out who really was behind Alfonse's death. He didn't want to believe it, but unfortunately it was true. The feeling he had couldn't even be expressed into words towards the whole situation.

He looked over at Dante, and clenched his fists that were being held by Despair. "You don't deserve to be _alive_ after all you've done." He said firmly. "You stole Alfonse's life, and he can never get it back all because of your deed."

Edward was seething, and as Dante spoke, the anger just seemed to build up in him until clenched hands shook a little.

"What made you think you had the right to kill him?" he snarled, his voice trembling slightly, only serving to deepen his frustration. "We both know you're not going to use a Stone on anyone but yourself! You're the same as ever, you witch," he spat. "You only care about your own damned self, and you're not afraid to kill others to get your way! He had so much more to do...!"

He trailed off, biting his own lip and looking away as he felt an annoying sweep of sadness at the thought of just how young Alfons had been, how caring and how selfless...He hadn't deserved his hand in life.

"Don't try to cover up your actions by acting like you were being merciful..." he said lowly through gritted teeth.

"Her... orders...?" Despair silently repeated the words as they swam through his head. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Dante's the power behind Thule! The one Eckhart, Haushofer and Hess were getting their orders from!" Marta answered Despair. "I read the note from Hess; he said he'd obey her and kill the whole team once the project was proved to be a success, but Alfons was the only one he managed to get that night, so if you think any of this will be for your benefit, Despair, you're wrong!"

"Nonsense," Dante scoffed. "The boy was already dying a lingering and painful death. Hess did him a mercy and a kindness. I wouldn't have been able to create you otherwise, Despair, and now you have an opportunity to restart your life once the stone is made. Of course, that all depends on your performance."

"My _performance?_" He asked back angrily. It hurt his stomach to be letting himself say these things, yet he knew he could not stop himself. "What's my 'new life' compared to the lives of all these people?"

"I have already explained, the lives sacrificed are necessary martyrs, saving humankind from itself. Do not question your creator and master, Despair," Dante warned, her voice darkly silky. "Don't forget, it is only because of me that you exist at all."

"How can you save mankind when you're killing them off, one city at a time?!" Edward snapped, glaring furiously at her. For a split second, he forgot about the Oroborus under Despair's eye, and it felt as though she were reprimanding his dear friend.

"If this is all I've been created to do, then no, I'd rather not. I won't be forced to choose anything." He insisted.

Alphonse nodded, agreeing with his brother's question. "It sounds like your words are contradicting your actions. Your intentions are _not_ to save mankind." He paused for a moment, keeping his glare at Dante. _"You want to kill it..."_

"Wrong!" Dante snapped. "How many times must I explain this to you? A God or Ruler must sacrifice a small part of what they are protecting to ensure the survival of the greater part. If the sacrifice of Munich is all it takes to prevent an even worse war then the first, and keep a powerful weapon like the Philosophers Stone out of the Nazis hands, that is a small price to pay." Then she eyed Edward and Alphonse again. "Don't take my word for it. You've both been through the Gate several times yourselves, you've seen the truth of everything that ever was, is, and will be. Surely you each saw what would happen if this city is allowed to continue the way it is."

Edward bit his lip to hold back a retort, remembering for himself the flashes of what he'd seen in the Gate; flashes that he'd relayed many times in his mind over the years, trying to make sense of them all. He knew quite well the images of wiped out cities, bombs exploding, wars, battles, and bloodshed...

"At least then there would be some survivors," he protested, his eyes burning. "You can't just destroy a city because of what might happen to it in the future! Alchemy is barely even spoken of in this world, what makes you so sure that the Nazis would go after it anyways?" he snapped.

"Ed's right!" Despair snapped. "You don't know who you could kill if you destroyed the city! Why can't history be allowed to run its course without you interfering?"

Marta had to smile inwardly at those words. Maybe Alfons/Despair wasn't a lost cause like Edward had thought!

Dante, however, was appalled! "How dare you contradict me, you abomination? I am your creator! Your master! Your owner! You owe me your very existence!"

"And I don't need you!" Despair cried, fighting the rising anger at her words. "All you seem to be bringing is misery to people who have done nothing wrong. My very existence here is not even supposed to be possible, so why should I be thanking you?! I'd rather have died and stayed dead than be a pawn in your game."

Something drooped from his crazed eyes. Tears. His teeth were clenched as his hands let go of his double violently. One provocation and he could be let loose on his former mistress, bringing swift punishment for the pain she had brought to him and others, or die trying. Better that than remain a burden to people here!

Edward looked startled when Despair raised his voice, momentarily distracted from Dante. He felt a tug at his heart when he saw the tears fall from the poor Homunculus's eyes and he felt tempted to place a hand on his shoulder like he would have done for Alfons. However, he restrained himself, knowing that the being was on edge. "The game's up, Dante," he said coolly, looking to the wretched woman again.

Alphonse felt relief when Despair let go of him. He glanced over at Despair, giving him a slight smile. Inside, he knew that the homunculus would come to his senses. The evil witch didn't know what she was going to be in for. No matter what it took, Al was ready to get rid of her and end all the turmoil she had been causing for years. He then looked at Dante, cringing his eyebrows. "Despair is on our side now, and we will do what ever it takes to end all of this." He said firmly, with determination reflecting off of his eyes.

"Yeah..." Despair said quietly. "That's right."

"Miserable traitor!" Dante yelled, furious. "After all I've done for you!" Quickly, to Marta and everyone's horror, she drew out a small gun from the folds of her dress and aimed it at Despair. "If you refuse to obey your master, then I shall just have to destroy you over and over until you die a second time!" And with that she pulled the trigger...


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Something snapped in the blonde's mind when he saw Dante pull out the gun. His eyes widened and he felt his heart jump into his throat. In his mind, this was no longer a Homunculus standing before him; it was his dear friend Alfons. _Not again...!_ he thought desperately. _I won't let him die again!_

_"No!"_ he cried, charging towards Despair and his brother, completely forgetting in his frenzy that the bullet wouldn't have even harmed Despair. Edward dove in front of the Homunculus...

His eyes widened like saucers and a short cry of pain escaped him as he felt the bullet pierce his shoulder...the real one. The impact knocked him flat on the floor, skidding a bit. The back of his head smacked against the hard floor when he fell and in an instant, all was dark...

Marta had been going to yell a warning at Alfons/Despair to watch out once Dante pointed that pistol at him, but she hadn't counted on that reckless Edward jumping in the line of fire! To late, she had been unable to stop him. She watched in shock and horror as the bullet struck her friends shoulder and he fell unmoving to the floor.

"Ed! No!" she cried as she and Alphonse both hurried to his side.  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Noa standing nearby, a strange look coming over her face, and Dante making a break for the nearest doorway. As much as she wanted to run after the evil hag and strangle her, seeing to Edward was more important right now.

Despair picked himself up slowly as he realized with horror what Ed had done.  
"Why did you have to do that, Ed?!" He shouted angrily. "That bullet was mine to take!"

His throat welled up and choked whatever else he could have said. Still in shock, he simply let his knees hit the floor in front of Ed's limp form.

Alphonse's eyes widened, with a gasp. "Brother!" He shouted, then immediately rushed to his brother's side. His heart started to pound faster and faster. He wondered why Edward took the bullet for Despair, when Ed knows a bullet won't kill a homunculus. He began to have mixed up emotions boiling inside of him, ready to overflow. He had anger towards Dante, for hurting his brother, and sadness for Ed. "_Brother..._" He said quietly, in a shaken voice.

Seeing the bullet strike Edward, and now viewing him laying motionless on the ballroom floor, made Noas' eyes widen and the glazed look in them began to clear into focus as she snapped out of her trance. _"Edward!"_ she screamed.

******

_The next thing Edward knew, he was standing in an all-too-familiar place.... _

_"The Gate...?" he thought out loud, looking around in confusion. "But that bullet hit my shoulder...I shouldn't be dead yet...!" He looked down at his left shoulder, the bloodstain not showing on him. Of course, this is my soul, he thought. When I was killed by Envy, I didn't have a mark here either... "Am I really...dead?" Ed murmured softly, looking at the ominous Gate forlornly._

_"Don't worry, you're not dead," said a voice behind him. Edward was immediately alert, whirling around to face the source of the noise...but there was nothing there. He looked at the empty space warily before hearing a snicker. He glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened a bit when he recognized the figure standing in front of the gate. He turned fully around then, feeling like he was looking through a mirror._

_"You're...that boy..." he trailed off, flashes of his time in London rushing through his head. "The other me...?"_

_The teen nodded and Edward noticed that he looked more confident than he had when he had been inside his body. _Then again, it had been me "controlling" him then_, he thought._ Not himself. And I hadn't been very confident right at that moment.

_"Eduard Heiderich," the soul said proudly. "Alfonse's older brother."_

_Edward thought for a moment, then looked stricken as he realized how Eduard was here. "So you really did die when that zeppelin collapsed?" he asked quietly. Eduard said nothing, glancing at the ground before looked Ed squarely in the eyes._

_"Don't you dare blame yourself for that, Edward Elric. It wasn't your fault, and you know it. It was just my time."_

_He stated it so emphatically that Edward felt himself at a loss for words. He didn't know how to come back at that. Instead, he decided to change the subject._

_"So...if I'm not dead," he inquired carefully, "how am I here?"_

_"You've been here other times when you weren't dead as well, Edward, remember?" Eduard seemed to be smiling at some private joke as he said that. "That first time when you came here, years and years ago...remember?"_

_Did he ever. He had a feeling he would always remember that terror of being dragged into the Gate for the very first time, his mind inundated with all the information in the world, or so it had felt. Reaching out to his mother's hand desperately, crying her name...And then nothingness again...his leg deteriorating before his very eyes. But he hadn't been dead then, had he...? After all, he had snapped back to consciousness, screaming in pain and clutching at his bleeding stump of a leg._

_Eduard looked approving as he saw Ed thinking, and folding his arms and looking at him curiously._

_After a while, Edward finally looked up at Eduard again. "Okay...so I'm not dead. I guess that makes sense...but why are you here?" Eduard's face fell a little and he looked at the ground for a long moment, composing himself again._

_"Edward..." he said quietly, looking up at the teen again. "Thank you for what you did for my brother back there...I know that bullet couldn't have hurt him, but...Thank you. Please, continue looking out for him for me, will ya?" he smiled a bit._

_Edward looked confused. "Your brother...? That's not Alfons down there, it's a Homunculus." But the words felt hollow, like he had to parrot that phrase for him to accept it._ It's not really your friend you're seeing. He's not going to say "Welcome back!" or give you a hug or talk to you about rockets. He's a Homunculus. He's going to attack you, he's going to try to kill you, and he's going to have no mercy no matter how faltering you are about his looks._ But still...before Dante had shot him, Despair had rebelled. He had stood up for them against his master._ He can't be as heartless as I've wanted him to be_, he thought._

_Eduard said nothing else, merely smiling perceptively. "Please take care of him," he murmured again, stepping towards Edward and placing a hand on his shoulder so they were eye to eye. "This is so crazy," he chuckled. "I feel like I'm staring at myself with longer hair...And don't worry, I forgive you for, you know, kind of being inside me. It couldn't be helped. Once I got here, I understood...Thanks again, Edward...But I hope I don't see you again any time soon," he said, giving Ed one last pat on the shoulder before vanishing._

_Edward blinked in surprise as he disappeared. "W-wait! Come back!" he called, looking around for a sign of his double. But all he heard was that quiet snickering again, slowly tapering off into silence._

******

Marta, Alphonse and Despair had reached Edwards side and the girl saw, to her great relief, that the bullet had hit a non-fatal area and that her friend was still breathing well. Still, his real shoulder was bleeding and they had to take care of that quickly.

Despair looked on as intently as the rest.  
"Please tell me he's going to be okay," he pleaded.

Marta nodded reassuringly. "I think he should be fine, the bullet didn't hit anything vital. We just need to get the bleeding under control." With that, she tore off two pieces of her coat, using one as a bandage and the other as a makeshift tourniquet. "When he comes to though, you and Al both have my permission to punch him out again for being such a reckless _shmok!_"

After Eduard had vanished, Ed remained standing in front of the Gate, staring at it thoughtfully. "I'm surprised nothing's come out and tried to grab me yet...I suppose I should be thankful for that," he murmured to himself. "Still...I wish Eduard would have explained what he meant. There's no way that that's really Alfons down there...right?"

Edward knew he was conscious again before he even opened his eyes. He could hear things around him, the three of them talking, and then...Owwwww...The pain set in. He inhaled sharply, his auto mail clutching at his bleeding shoulder as he cringed, eyes fluttering awake.

Alphonse noticed his brother regaining his consciousness. Even though Edward's wound wasn't as bad as the other times he hurt himself, Al was still worried. There was no way he was going to loose his only brother again. He then sighed with relief, as he looked at him, with a slight smile. "Ed..." He said quietly, in a more upbeat tone of voice. He then waited for a response from Ed.

Edward blinked a few times to let his eyes focus and the corner of his mouth quirked into a small smile. "Hey, Al..." he replied in the same quiet tone, grunting slightly as he propped himself up on one arm. He winced again as the room seemed to swirl in front of him for a moment. "I musta hit my head pretty hard..." he mumbled, feeling the dull throb of what was soon to be a big lump on the back of his head. "Everyone okay?"

Marta smiled with relief as she and Alphonse helped Edward sit up and steady himself. "You pull a stunt like that and ask if _we're_ okay, Ed?" she scoffed good-naturedly. "_Oy_, you have allot of _chutzpah_."

Ed laughed softly at that. "Yeah, well, I've had worse. Still hurts like hell though...Guess I kinda got ahead of myself, huh?" he smiled wryly.

Alphonse slightly smiled again at Edward, placing his right hand behind his head. "You still haven't changed one bit. Always finding a way to hurt yourself." He said, jokingly. With that, he removed his hand from behind his head. "I'm glad your okay, you had us worried."

Despair poked his head up, shyly, with his eyes still wide open.

Edward laughed quietly again and winced when he took his hand away from the wound, seeing that it was still bleeding some. "Well, she's a better aim than Eckhart, I'll give her that. If I hadn't gotten in the way, it probably woulda gone through his chest..."

He glanced over at Despair and his eyes softened, remembering Eduard Heiderich's words. "It's funny, I didn't really think before I jumped in front of you...For the moment, you weren't a Homunculus, you were Alfons again. Heh...And here I was lecturing Marta for doing the same thing."

"What does that mean?" Despair asked.

By now, the Roma girl had completely shaken off the hypnosis and joined the others at Edward's Side "Edward are you all right? And how did I get here?" Noa asked, looking at him for some answers.

Edward hesitated, caught between both of their questions. "First, let's get back to the apartment. I'll explain what I found out there," he said, pushing himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment, catching his bearings again, then shook his head and stepped forward.

Marta helped steady Edward as he swayed and caught his bearings again.  
"Just a minute," she said. "That apartment's only got two rooms and there's five of us now." She gestured towards Noa and Despair. "Plus, I don't want to think of what might happen if anyone who knows us sees Despair, especially _Herr_ Hughes and _Fraulein_ Gracia."

Edward grimaced slightly at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't really think about that. If someone we knew saw Despair, there'd be no way to explain our ways out of it...I suppose we can just stay here," he said reluctantly, glancing around. "So long as we get the hell out of _THIS_ room. It's too familiar, it's giving me the creeps."

"That sounds good, and we can patch you up a little more" Noa agreed, then she looked at Alphonse and noticed something about him. "You were in armour" the Roma girl observed, remembering what she'd seen when she touched Edward's hand awhile back.

Alphonse looked over at Noa, as his eyes softened. "Yes, that's true..." He said softly, pausing for a moment. "Thanks to my brother, I have my body back." With that, he turned to the others, and waited to follow them.

Noa smiled sadly at Alphonse "I have a certain gift… but it's mostly a curse since many people just want to use me, Thule and Lyra included."

Edward smiled wryly and sighed a bit. "It's all in the past now," he murmured. "Anyways, let's see if we can find a different room in this place."

Alphonse turned to Noa, and smiled back at her. "Ed told me all about that." He then placed his left hand on Noa's shoulder, attempting to cheer her up. He hated to see people hurt or sad. "Don't worry. When ever you're with us, we'll make sure no one will be able to use you."

Noa was grateful for Alphonse words "You sound just like Edward" said, helping Marta steady Edward as they left the ballroom.

Alphonse smiled proudly at Noa's words, with both of his hands in his pockets. He then followed behind the group.

Edward smiled a bit at that as well, nodding. "He's grown, that's for sure," he said proudly.

Despair followed behind, cringing inwardly at those words.  
_"If only the real Alfons Heiderich's brother was here…"_ he thought. _"If only the real _Alfons Heiderich_ were here instead of… Instead of…"_

Marta noticed the sad expression on Alfons/Despairs face as he watched Edward and Alphonse... She could only guess how he must be feeling now...

"Hey, it's okay," she murmured to him, briefly placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, then she spoke up to the rest. "I think there's supposed to be a parlour or something upstairs. We could make ourselves something to eat and take a breather there."

"Alright..." Despair sighed. He was grateful for this girls kindness, but it really couldn't change anything.

Edward nodded, grinning a bit at the idea of getting something to eat. Maybe his stomach would stop quivering with anxiety if he had something in it.

For her part, Noa agreed as well. She was eager to find out just what had been going on since that horrible Lyra had told her she had no choice but to stay here.

Alphonse nodded, and followed along with everyone to the other room.

Edward flashed a grateful smile at Noa and sat down, wincing again as his shoulder shifted. "Alright, well, uh...I guess I owe Noa an explanation first, but I'm not really sure how to explain it...It's gonna sound weird, but she sorta had you under this kind of...hypnosis thing," he said awkwardly, trying to think of the right words to describe it. "I'm not sure really how long you've been here, but I imagine Dante brought you here as bait, probably to lure me," he sighed. "Does that make any sense?"

Noa nodded. "It makes sense. I remember Alfonses Funeral… then that woman, Lyra, offered to let me stay here and one thing led to another…" The Roma girl then looked to Despair, getting up and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry" Noa murmured sympathetically, but then - once the girl had put her hand on his shoulder - she got clear and vivid images of the Alfons she had originally known... Shocked, Noa let her hand fall from his shoulder…

Edward looked at her, brows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong, Noa?" he asked.

"I… I'd rather not speak of this in front of Despair and Marta," the girl answered.

Marta noted the expression on Noas' face when she touched Alfons/Despairs shoulder. As much as she wanted to ask the Roma girl what was going on, it was obvious this was something just between her and the Elrics.

Right! Ed and Al were from a different world, Alfons was a homunculus and Noa was psychic. She must be the only plain one in this group!

"Sure, Noa," she agreed with a nod. "Go ahead and talk to Ed and Al." Then she placed a hand on Alfons/Despairs shoulder. "Our egos can take it. We'll be in the kitchen fixing a little dinner, okay?"

"Okay." Despair sighed. _"I wonder what she meant..._ _rather not say it while I'm here... what could she mean?"_ He asked himself.

Edward smiled faintly at Marta's words and nodded. "Alright. Just call us when you're ready," he said. He watched them leave for the kitchen, then glanced at Noa again. "So...?" he asked curiously.

Alphonse sat there next to Edward, and waited for Noa to speak.

Noa took a deep breath as she faced the two Elrics "I saw our Alfonse's soul in that homunculus body… I… I really believe it's him in there," she said.

Edward's eyes widened and he leaned forward anxiously. "Are you positive Noa?! It's really Alfonse's soul in there...?"

"Yes," Noa answered decisively. "I'm positive that's really him in there. I saw him as clearly as I see you two in front of me."

Edward's eyes softened as he let it sink in that his friend was still there. Buried deep, maybe, but still there. A slight smile crossed his face for a moment before a thought occurred to him. He glanced at Alphonse next to him.

"How do you think Dante managed to actually pull Alfonse's spirit back then?"

Alphonse thought for a moment. _How could it be possible that Alfonse's soul is some where inside of that homunculus?_ He thought to himself. It was hard for him to believe what Noa had told them. But it could be possible....

He then glanced at Edward, with a confused expression on his face. "That can't be true. I don't understand how Alfonse's soul could be placed into a homunculus' body. That doesn't pertain to the cycle of life. When humans die, they're not supposed to be brought back to life." He said. "We can relate to that situation, brother." He murmured.

Edward nodded grimly. "That's just what I was thinking...It doesn't make sense. But I trust in Noa's abilities; after all, she told me thing about our home that I'd never told anyone else. If she says Alfonse's spirit is in there somewhere, then I believe her. I just can't figure out the how part..."

"I don't know either, but the best way for me to see clearly is when they are sleeping, and I saw your past in your own world when you were sleeping Edward," Noa reminded him with a smile. "I don't think we should tell "Despair" or Marta just yet though," she added as she finished putting ointment and a fresh, clean bandage on Edwards wound.

Alphonse nodded at Edward. "Your right, Noa's abilities seem to be always accurate." He then moved his glance to Noa. "Thank you for telling us, Noa. And don't worry, we won't tell them just yet." He said softly.

Noa nodded at the two Elrics. "You're welcome, I'm just glad my abilities are useful for a decent cause this time," she answered.

Edward nodded and smiled a bit as well, patting his freshly bandaged shoulder tentatively. "It's good to have ya back," he said.

"It's good to be back, but if you don't mind I need to change into my _normal _clothes" Noa replied dryly, looking down at the dress she wore and rising from her seat. "I don't even remember how I got into this thing."

Edward nodded. "That's alright, I kind of wanted to talk to Alphonse about something anyways," he said, trying to sound as casual as he could. What he had seen in the Gate was _far_ from casual…


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Alphonse looked over to his brother, wondering what Edward was going to inform him about. Though, he had a feeling of what it might be.

Edward waited until Noa left the room, then turned to Alphonse.

"There's not really any point in meandering, seeing as how it's just you and me and you probably already know that I'm going to talk about...But it was different this time, Al," he said quietly, trying to keep his voice lowered so that Marta and Alfons wouldn't hear them in the kitchen, either. "Every time I've seen the Gate, those black arms have always reached out and grabbed me, the only exception being when I..." he trailed off for a moment, hesitating. "When I got hurt by Envy back in that city under Central. But those circumstances were different. I was dying."

He paused again, trying to think of the best way to put this; he'd filled in Alphonse on everything that had happened while his brother had still been in Amestris and he in Germany. He knew about what had happened when Dante had sent Ed through the Gate, as well. He just wasn't sure how to phrase it so he didn't sound entirely crazy.

"I...I saw the other Ed...Eduard Heiderich," he finally murmured. "He told me to look out for Alfons...He knew that Al's soul was in that Homunculus, and...He just told me to watch out for him..."

Alphonse's eyes widened slightly, as Edward told him what he saw in the gate. Although it sounded a little crazy, he knew his brother wasn't lying, only telling him the truth.

"So you're saying..." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "You saw...Eduard?" He said quietly, in disbelief. Making sure no one else heard their conversation. "I don't understand, brother.... How can Alfons's soul, be attached to Despair..." He said, looking confused. He believed what Ed had told him, but was puzzled at the whole situation and how the homunculus was actually...Alfons Heiderich.

Edward nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Eduard's soul. He was waiting for me at the Gate and he talked to me for a bit. He...told me not to blame myself for him dying and thanked me for taking the bullet for Despair, even if he couldn't have gotten hurt from it. He said "please take care of him"."

He fell silent again, remembering the conversation with his other self before finally speaking again.

"I tried to tell him that Despair wasn't his brother, that he was a Homunculus, but he only smiled...He knew something I didn't. And with what Noa said a bit ago, it's safe to assume what that something was. Al, I don't know how or why, but somehow Alfons's soul really is there..."

Alphonse nodded, smiling wryly at Edward. "We may not understand how all of this happened...But until then, we have to protect Eduard's little brother...Right Ed? And this time, stop Dante for good." He said firmly.

Edward nodded determinedly at his brother's words. "Yeah. That witch has been around long enough. And...there's no way I'm letting Alfons die again," he added softly. The memory of coming back to find Noa cradling his dead friend, covered in blood, still made him clench his teeth in a mix of bitter anger and sorrow.

**********

Despair, unaware that he wasn't the soulless thing he was lead to believe he was, was feeling a little left out as Ed, Al and Noa talked in the next room, but of course, the feeling was nothing new. He saw his only chance of solace in the form of Marta and wasted little time in making conversation, but even then it felt awkward to start.

"So... how did you meet him? Ed, that is."

Marta, in the meantime, was making herself useful in what her mother called "a woman's traditional domain"; the kitchen of the mansion. Thankfully, it was packed and she managed to find a little cooked meat and various vegetables to make a passable stew.

"You mean you don't remember?" she replied. Then she sighed sadly. "No, I don't suppose so. You... I mean Alfons..." her voice trailed off slightly... "Well, we'd both breezed through high school early and were signing up to study with those older students from Munich University under Herman Oberth in Romania."

Despair closed his eyes for a moment with one hand on his forehead as if recoiling from a headache of some kind. He opened them again and shook his head.

"No... Those aren't my memories. That all happened to someone else." He said dismissively.

Marta felt an inward pang at this. In spite of Ed and Als' words about homunculus being soulless, and therefore not the person they were meant to replace, she had still hoped...

"I know," she admitted sadly as she prepared the ingredients for the stew. "It's just that... well... you're the closest thing we have to him... and I never really got to talk to him properly before I quit the team and..." Here she sighed and shook her head ruefully...

"I'm sorry, Marta." Despair replied. "I'm really, really sorry. But you mustn't see me as him. I'm… I'm nothing and nobody."

Funny, that last time she'd seen Alfons he'd said something along the same thing to her, that she shouldn't see him as someone she might have any kind of future with because he had so little time left, that he was nobody...

_"You may not be him, but you're __**not **__nothing or nobody,"_ she wanted to say... The words came racing to her mouth, but she found herself unable to say them... Instead, she averted her eyes away and went on to slicing the vegetables... "Yeah," she murmured, "I guess so..."

Despair frowned as her gaze shifted from him back to her work. "What happened, the last time you saw Alfons?" He just had to ask.

Marta brushed her long front bangs away from her eyes with a free hand.

"We had a major argument when he told me he was thinking of accepting Thule's offer to sponsor the teams research," she began. "I knew what Thule and the damned Nazi party were and what they stood for and I tried my hardest to get Alfons to refuse them, but he was just as stubborn as I was. He didn't support those pigs, but he knew he only had so much time left..."

"Oh..." Despair replied, unable to say anything else. He wasn't sure he had been right in asking about this.

Marta noted the pained look on Despairs face. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I promised you... _him_... he wouldn't be alone when... but instead I went with my family back to Austria the minute we had that argument. I never should have left; I should have hog tied him down and _made_ him refuse the job for Thule, then maybe none of this would have happened." She shook her head with a bitter smile as she got the meat ready for the stew. So much for regrets.

Despair decided he _hated_ hearing about this now. It just made him feel worse. He wished he'd had a life. It was making him jealous to hear about Heiderich's life. He could feel it turn into anger, as it always did so easily and he tried to stop it. Something tugged at his throat for a while creating an awkward silence. He shook his head and tried to turn the subject away.

"Where is Edward? What's keeping them?" He asked himself.

By now, Marta could see this was really making the homunculus agitated. She silently cursed herself for making Despair feel like that. She had thought he would want to hear more about Alfons, just as she had wanted to hear more about the other Marta, but, just as she had done with Alfons, she'd screwed up again.

"I'm sorry," said quickly, briefly squeezing his arm in apology. "I didn't mean to... Me and my big mouth! It's just that, I've been wanting to say that to him for a while now, and since you... Oh forget it!" she finally sighed. By now she'd made up a decent sized tray with stew, bread and butter and tea. "Here," she said, swiftly placing the tray in Despairs hands. "Take this to Ed and Al in the parlour. I'll go upstairs and get Noa if she's finished getting out of that circus tent of a dress." And with that she tuned on her heal and exited the kitchen, hopefully before Despair could see her cheeks redden...

Slightly bewildered by this, Despair headed for the door, tray in hands.

Edward perked up a bit as he heard Alfons coming. "But remember," he added in a quick, hushed whisper, "We can't tell Despair. Not yet, at least. Okay?"

There was a knock at the door.

"Is everything alright in there?" Despair asked. He had briefly heard a _"...Not yet, at least. Okay?"_ from outside the door. To him it sounded like they were planning their next move against Dante.

Alphonse nodded to his brother. "Okay." He said quietly. He then looked at the door and thought of something quickly to say. "Yeah, come in." With that, he waited for him to enter.

Despair came out with a tray containing their afternoon tea, and left it on the table with them.

"Here you go."

He caught something in their eyes. Maybe this plan of theirs involved him... what if it was bad for him? He couldn't stop thinking about this, as well as Marta…

Edward nodded with a smile in response, then looked a bit curious as he noticed the scrutinizing look Despair was giving them. "Is...something wrong?" he asked a bit cautiously. Had he overheard them...?

"Oh… no. Are you two making plans for what to do about Dante? I just overheard you saying something…"

For a split second, Ed felt a pang of guilt as Despair mentioned overhearing them talking. "Uh, sort of," he said hesitantly. "We were mostly just talking," he explained, pulling out one of his old tricks; the good ol' fake smile.

Despair thought for a second. "What about? I thought I heard you saying something... something important. It just sounded a bit serious, that's all."

"It was kinda...personal," he said quietly, which wasn't entirely a lie. Eduard had been right on the dot about how seeing each other was like looking through a mirror, and he had a feeling that he would never forget the boy.

"Was it? I'm sorry Ed. Didn't mean to interrupt. You know... there is something a little personal I've been thinking about... I think Marta might have had… well… feelings for this Alfons Heiderich."

"No, no, it's fine," he said quickly. Edward looked curious as he finished speaking. "Marta had a crush on Alfons...?" He couldn't help but let a grin creep across his face at that. "I guess it makes sense..." His face became more solemn as he thought about it. "Not a very happy ending for her, though, is it? But it would explain why she was so furious at me when she thought I'd had something to do with Alfons's death, and then later when she kept faltering around you..."

'Yeah, it's just... well, I hope she doesn't see me as a replacement for him. It's just, well... I wish..." He sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'm not really him anyway…"

Edward nodded in agreement. "Yeah...it wouldn't be good for her to get attached in that way," he agreed. As he listened to Despair talk, he felt very torn between telling him and not, and sighed. "You know, Despair, even if you're not him, I think Marta's still really glad to see you," he said, trying to lighten the Homunculus's mood.

"I don't know... if I met someone who was just a soulless copy of... well, it's not the same as the real thing... is it?" He asked. "If I were her, I wouldn't be so satisfied with me."

Edward's eyes softened a bit at that. "No, I suppose it's not the same… But just because you're not Alfons doesn't mean you can't be her friend, right...?"

"Right… Maybe I can be… But I should remind her not to get to attached to me if she has any sense... I'd be nothing but trouble for her"

Deep down, Edwards's heart ached at this. Was Marta's situation that much different from his own with Winry...? He had remembered walking the streets with groceries, heading back to the apartment, and catching a glimpse of a young woman that he was sure was Winry's duplicate. The only difference had been that she had let her hair down and was wearing a dress and a white, wide-brimmed hat with a ribbon. She had dressed the opposite of the Winry he knew, but there was no mistaking her face as she glanced around.

The temptation to bolt across the street and talk to her had been almost too strong to stop. The only two things that held him back were his common sense telling him that that woman wasn't Winry and that she would likely be scared to have a stranger waltz up to her and chatter, and secondly that she looked to be of high class. He knew enough about class to know that someone like him doesn't just run up to a beautiful lady like her without there being some sort of repercussion, whether it be a slap across the cheek or something more severe and it was a risk he hadn't been willing to take.

And after that brief encounter, he hadn't been able to get Winry out of his mind. It had been a bit easier more recently, with Alphonse home and what was going on, but once Despair had mentioned Marta having feelings for Alfons, his mind had immediately flickered to her. If there was any chance for him to see her again, he would jump at the opportunity. He missed her desperately, and every day since he'd come back with Alphonse, he wondered if he should have stayed in Amestris after all. None of this might be happening if he had just stayed home.

_But that would have been the wrong thing_, he countered himself bitterly. _If I had stayed there, the Gate would have remained open. Amestris would have been destroyed by Eckhart anyways. Once I gave them a way into our world, I couldn't say the war wasn't any of my business anymore. I'd had no choice but to get involved._ And Winry...His heart fluttered a bit as he recalled the close embrace Winry had given him when she'd first seen him. She had definitely matured in those two years. When he told her what had happened, she merely smiled and offered to help by fixing his auto mail and seeing him off. She had accepted that he probably wasn't coming back again. He had a feeling the 16-year old Winry would have begged and pleaded for him to stay, tears in her bright blue eyes...

He shook his head slightly, trying to shake off those thoughts for now. _Now isn't the time to be lovesick_, he scolded himself.

**********

Thank goodness she'd left the kitchen to see Noa before her face could get completely red! All right all right already! She'd accepted that Despair wasn't Alfons, she'd gotten that guilt she'd felt at his death off of her chest with him, so why the hell was it still so difficult to see the homunculus as someone or something different? Why did she feel the exact same warm, giddy shyness around him that she'd felt around Alfons and why couldn't she forget his reaction when she'd questioned him about his memories when she'd first seen him?

Marta shook her head vigorously. "_Oy!_ Get over yourself already, girl!" she muttered to herself.

By now she had arrived at Noas' room and she welcomed the distraction from her confused thoughts. It would be nice to talk to this Roma girl and get to know her as a friend now that she was de-hypnotized.

Approaching the closed door, Marta rapped her knuckles against the wood in a steady knock.

"Hey, Noa?" she called.

Now back into her regular clothes, a plain blouse and skirt, Noa opened the door and smiled at the young woman whom the others had called Marta. "Hello, please come in. I'm done getting changed."

Marta came in and sat herself down on one of the chairs in the room, not exactly sure how to go about starting this conversation, but at least it would settle things with this Noa girl and help distract herself from Alfons and Despair for a minute...

"Well... I don't know if you remember, since the last time we talked you were sort of... umm... hypnotized... but I'm Marta Nachash, and you're Noa, right?"

Noa seated herself on the bed across from her. "Really, I can't say I remember much about that, but that was probably the whole intention. Anyway it's nice to meet you. How do you know Edward and Alphonse?"

So Noa didn't have any recollection of their meeting earlier. Marta supposed it was just as well.

"Alfons and I..." she began hesitantly, "well... we met Ed when we were all studying rocketry together under Dr Oberth... but I've been in Austria since before..." _since before Alfons was killed_, she was going to say, but she made herself say "since before the uprising" instead. "I just met Al when I came back to Munich this week."

"Oh, then that explains why I don't remember you. Edward saved me when my own people sold me to Thule. They wanted to exploit me and my gift, well, maybe I should call it a curse instead " Noa corrected herself bitterly.

At this Marta blinked in surprise. So this whole psychic bit hadn't been just a part of that Dante womans hypnotism.

"So you can really read a persons mind, like telepathy?" she asked, interested.

"Yes, I can," the Roma girl replied matter of factly. "It's easier when people are asleep, but even when awake I can see their thoughts and their past."

Marta recalled Noa saying something similar to this when she had first seen her as Dantes' hypnotized puppet. She grinned. She'd never had her fortune told before!

"All right then," she said, holding out her own hand, "why don't you try me?"

Grinning back, Noa complied and took the other girls hand… Almost immediately horrific images played themselves out in front of her as clearly as a movie screen…

Carnage, bloodshed, nearly as bad as what went on during the Great War… A terrible laboratory where humans were captured and experimented on and turned into things almost impossible to comprehend… A young woman with the reflexes of a serpent hiding inside a suit of armour… A sword penetrating through her body, killing her instantly… A six pointed star encircled by a dragon like serpent… Blood, such allot of blood…

Then the images changed to seemingly more peaceful scenes… An ordinary, happy childhood in Vienna and youth in Munich before the worsening days of the Great War… Great faith symbolized by yet another six-pointed star… Smiling faces of family and friends… and a deep, long-time love…

"I saw… I saw another world where you were a soldier, fused together with a serpent in a terrible laboratory," she said, not wanting to reveal the worse details unless asked.

Marta swallowed nervously. Hadn't Edward said something about the other Marta being turned into a creature, a chimera, in a horrible laboratory before she was killed?

_"Oy!"_ she exclaimed, taking her hand away. "That sounds like something Ed said to me about what happened to another Marta he knew." Then there was a question she just had to ask Noa, no matter how she might dread the answer. "About the night of the uprising... were you there?..." she wanted to know.

Noa heard the question and was racked with Regret on what she had done to Edward. "Yes, I was there, and I did something that I shouldn't have done… Thule made me a devils' bargain in order to get to Edwards world, and I was so desperate for a place where people wouldn't hate or distrust me that I went along with it and betrayed Edward and Alfons in the process."

The Jewish girl wasn't exactly sure about the details of what Noa could have done to betray Edward, but whatever it was it looked like her friend had forgiven her.

"Alfons?" Marta blinked upon hearing the name. "Did you know Alfons Heiderich?"

"Yes," Noa answered. "In fact I lived with Edward and Alfons for awhile when I was hiding from Thule… I… I was there with him when… when it happened…" Her voice grew sad as she recalled the whole event.

Upon hearing this, Marta nearly gasped. "So... you were with him... when he died...?" her voice trailed off...

"Yes, we found him laying on the floor of the factory… I held him, so I saw his thoughts as he died… He knew he didn't have much longer, but he was happy… happy to have known us all and to have been able to help Edward get home, if only for long enough to stop Thule and bring his brother back anyway…"

Marta sighed and ran both hands through her hair. "Yeah, I think I remember Ed saying he found you holding him after..." she swallowed and tried again, "...after it happened... If that's the case, you did more for him then me... I'm just glad he wasn't alone... I promised… I promised he wouldn't be alone…" Then she shook her head and sat up from the chair. "All right then, let's get downstairs before the boys send a search party. There's nothing worse then cold beef stew."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

As the two girls made their way from the room and to the downstairs parlour, Marta studied Noa with interest. She had never really met a Gypsy or _Roma_ before, and despite being a student she knew little about them other then what they called themselves and that they were said to be nomadic.

_Herr_ Officer Hughes and the _Nachrichtendienst in Bezug auf die Zigeuner_ painted the Roma as a plague, crooks and con artists, but then these were the same fools who believed Jews were conniving aristocrats out to take over the world so their opinion held no weight with her.

"So, tell me," she asked Noa, "what are the _Roma_ like? You're the first I've met."

Noa smiled at Martas interest. "Well, we're all from different tribes that range from India to here in Europe. I'm Sinti, and we're traditionally nomadic, though we've been in Austria and Germany since the middle ages, no thanks to the efforts made to wipe us out."

Marta nodded understandingly. "I think I like the Roma," she answered with a rueful smile, "they sound allot like the Jews. We've been kicked out from place to place, and the damned Nazi party wants to get rid of us too."

Noa gave her new friend a knowing look as they approached the downstairs parlour. "I like you too. It's good to have someone who understands."

"Yeah," Marta chuckled half-heartedly. "After all, misery loves company, right?"  
By now they had reached the door to the parlour and entered.

Edward, who had since gotten lost in his thoughts about Winry, perked up when he heard the two girls enter. He smiled slightly, though he was still a bit distracted. "Hey, good to see you two get along well."

Marta smiled. "Yeah, well, we who are persecuted should stick together. Then she sat down on the closest chair and began handing everybody their spoons and bowls, trying deliberately not to meet Despairs gaze. "Now, let's eat."

Edward's sharp eyes weren't ones to overlook the fact that Marta had avoided the Homunculus's eyes, but he said nothing on the subject, merely nodding as his stomach growled. "Definitely," he grinned, quickly devouring a spoonful of the stew. Despite the hearty breakfast they'd had, he felt like he hadn't eaten in days as he savoured the delicious soup.

Marta grinned slightly as she began to eat her own stew. "Remember your first winter here? Both you and Alfons came down sick with bad colds and I came over to give you the fool proof Jewish remedy, chicken soup!" She shook her head in amusement. She'd put milk in the soup, but she hadn't known Edward hated milk until Alfons conveniently told her right after Ed had started eating it. Of course, she'd thought the guy would have a fit, but thankfully he didn't mind milk put in soup or stew. Just on it's own.

Edward snickered at the memory. "Yeah, I remember that. Al and I both had a pretty bad fever goin' for a while. I remember the first time I talked, you started cracking up because of how I sounded with a plugged up nose, too," he said with a playful glare. "And you kept taking my books away from me, saying I should be resting, not reading. Not that I could really focus on 'em anyways," he smiled faintly. "But you came and visited us every day and hung around for hours to make sure we'd be alright. It kinda made me feel homesick," he admitted, trying to restrain blush as he remembered the reason he had felt homesick: The way that Marta had doted on them had reminded him of Winry. The pain of leaving everyone behind had still been pretty raw then, and it had been hard NOT to think of Winry when Marta would tease them and call them reckless for getting a cold.

Marta forced herself to hold back her own snicker. She and the other guys on the rocket team were diligent about their studies and work, but Alfons and Edward had been borderline obsessive! It had been like pulling teeth to drag the two of them away from their work to get a good meal or catch a movie with her and the team once in awhile. No wonder they both got sick at the same time!

"Yeah, well, somebody needed to give poor _Fraulein_ Gracia a break from babysitting you two," the girl teased. She noted the blush on Eds' face and the wistful expression when he talked of being homesick. He was thinking of that Winry Rockbell girl he always talked about again. Though he'd deny it 'till 'doomsday, a blind bat in a cave could see he'd been in love with that girl. How he could have left her and his own home behind for this world, she wasn't sure.

Despair looked up intently. He said nothing, but nearly laughed. But it ended in a sigh and he quietly went back to his stew. An invisible lump grew in his throat again which he tried to ignore.

Noa noted this awkward silence as she saw Edward blush... She remembered the things she had seen in his dreams when he was sleeping... "So what do we from here. Do you have some kind of plan Edward?" she asked, trying to change the subject for his sake.

At this, Marta raised an eyebrow. "Do we really need to make any big plans tonight," she asked after taking a sip of her tea. "Maybe we should just be glad we all made it through this day alive. Besides," she added, "I have a feeling we won't need to be looking for this Dante witch. She could be the one to find us."

Edward frowned in thought. "I agree. Dante can wait...for now. I think a more pressing issue would be the bomb that she mentioned," he said gravely.

Marta finished her tea and gave a thoughtful sigh. "I say we finish dinner and get some rest for tonight. Then we can look into tracking down that bomb first thing in the morning. Something tells me Dante and her goons won't be planning anything with it until she gets what she wants from Ed and Al, what do you guys think?" The girls' gaze briefly wandered over to where Despair sat with the half eaten bowl of stew in his hands. He probably thought she hadn't noticed when he'd become so attentive after she brought up that memory of the chicken soup, but she had... She just hoped revenge against deserting minions wasn't on the top of Dantes' priority list right now...

Edward had already finished off his meal as he had been thinking, leaning back in his chair now. "Sounds like a good idea. And no, I doubt they will," he agreed grimly. "Dante's not the type to give up what she wants so easily...I don't know if we'll find he or she'll find us, but there's no avoiding a future confrontation. Besides, I'm wiped," he yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

"Yeah," Marta agreed with a smile. "Besides," she joked, "I can't wait to see what kind of room accommodations this mansion of Dantes' has. It's a palace compared to our apartments"

"I've never actually been in a mansion like this before, so I'm not quite sure what to expect," he admitted with a chuckle.

"Well, I don't remember where the rooms are exactly. It's still a little fuzzy" Noa said.

"I can help you... I've been getting used to those corridors." Despair offered.

Edward looked to Despair gratefully and smiled. "Thanks..."

Despair looked at him for a second before realizing what he was doing. He snapped out of it quickly, embarrassed.

Noa smiled to herself. _"He does have a soul in him. I saw it. That really is Alfons in there"_. Then she got up from her own seat. "Well, if everyone is done eating I'll take care of the dishes." She collected the plates, bowls and spoons and headed into the kitchen.

Edward tilted his head slightly when he noticed Despair staring at him, but resisted his curiosity and said nothing. He got up from his chair and yawned again before turning to Despair. "Well then, do ya think you could show us where the rooms are?" he asked.

"Of course. I've been there a few times already."

Marta snickered inwardly. "If I wasn't a neat freak, I'd say we should leave the freaking dishes for _Dante_." Then she picked up the rest of the dishes and followed Noa back into the kitchen. "Noa and I remember where the rooms are, so I'll give her a hand while you guys get the grand tour."

Noa smiled and nodded as she saw Marta walk into the kitchen with the rest of the dishes and put them in the sink. "Those three are strong. They really helped me allot back then, so I'm sure everything will be alright," She said as she started to wash.

Marta took over the drying of the supper dishes while Noa washed them. "I hope so," she answered, and her teeth clenched in anger at the thought of what that monster, Dante, had done to Alfons/Despair. "I swear," she hissed, "when I get my hands on that Dante witch I'll..." Then she shook her head with a sigh. "_Oy!_ Listen to me, adding fuel to the fire. Pretend you didn't hear that, Noa. I'm a Nachash and we're a temperamental lot."

**********

Alphonse had been eyeing Despair intently, less able to resist his curiosity than Ed. He paid so much attention that he had heard nothing of their conversation. _"I know he's a homunculus, and that he has to deal with it,"_ he thought to himself. _"But I don't think he even can. I know what he's going through, better than he can possibly imagine." _Thoughts of an incident with Barry the Chopper and how it had left his sense of identity devastated came clearly and sharply into his mind, leaving a sour homesickness before he could numb it with something else. Sensing this was getting nowhere for him, Alphonse stood up. "I'm just going to see how Marta and Noa are doing in the kitchen. Seems silly leaving them to do all the work." He said. Without another word he headed for the door.

Edward looked a little surprised at his brother's offer for a moment, then smiled to himself. It figured that he would volunteer to help. His smile faltered for a moment as he wondered if it was because of Despair that he was excusing himself. "Alright, Al. We'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Kay." Alphonse said as he left. Now to find Marta and Noa.

Despair watched Al go, before waiting. Was Ed going to say anything? He hoped it wasn't going to be too bad.

Edward felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, just because he wanted nothing more to explain to Despair everything, and knew that he could not. "So...I suppose we should go find the rooms then...?" he suggested, standing up. "And, uh...if there's anything on your mind, now would be a good time to say so," he added a little meekly. Curse his curiosity.

"I..." Despair started. He felt a painful tension in his stomach and throat and let it go. "No." He said with a heavy breath, and spoke no more.

Edward noticed Despair's hesitation and tilted his head slightly. "You sure...?" He wasn't sure why he wanted the truth out of him; there was a good chance that it wouldn't be good. But he supposed that it was the logical side of him, yearning to know for sure that he hadn't just imagined what had happened between him and Eduard when he had been unconscious.

"Ed... I can't help remembering... all that stuff about the two years in Romania and Munich... the team... all of it is coming into my head and I can't stop it. I guess it must just be the knowledge of the alchemist that created me. I tried to tell Marta... but I couldn't. As I said, it's probably from Dante that I've got these memories... but knowing they're not mine is driving me mad."

Edward looked almost relieved as Despair spoke, thankful that it really was Alfons's soul in there. He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly cut himself off, remembering that they had agreed not to tell him yet. "Yeah, I suppose," he said instead. "I guess Homunculi have troubles with their counterpart's memories sometimes..." He felt guilty for not telling him the truth, for not relieving his anxieties, but he knew he couldn't...Not yet.

Feeling in no way better, Despair looked inwardly for a moment before a sudden... numbness... took over and he felt nothing. He had reached an emotional threshold that was tearing at his sanity. "Are you finished, Ed?" He asked suddenly. "Your friends are waiting."

Edward hesitated, startled out of his own thoughts before nodding. "Yeah, I guess...But if it makes you feel any better, no matter what memories you may or may not have, we're all still here for you, alright," he smiled a bit.

"Alright." Despair replied dismissively almost. He wanted to say under his breath: _"Don't waste your time."_ But feared Ed's reaction.

Edward fidgeted a bit, unsure what to say now. He so desperately wanted to reassure Despair, to let him know that he really did have a soul, but he knew he couldn't. After a long while, he finally murmured, "Come on. Let's go get the others then. I'm sure they're exhausted, too."

**********

By the time Alphonse had entered, Noa and Marta had already finished washing and drying the dinner things.

"Hello, Al. So, has anything progressed yet?" the Roma girl wanted to know.

"Not really... Despair's been giving us some strange looks. I just wanted to see if you two needed a hand." He said innocently, trying to look sincere. All he really wanted was something to do to take his mind off the new homunculus's problems.

"Well, here then," Noa responded, handing the boy a stack of clean bowls. "You can put this all away. All right?"

Sighing, Alphonse nodded and started stacking the warm glasses and plates. A boring job, he had to admit, but better than sitting around with Ed and the Homunculus waiting for someone to say anything interesting. Alphonse lamented his poor set of choices.

Now this is what Marta liked to see, guys helping out in the kitchen! "So, Al, tell us about yours' and Edwards' world. What's it like?"

Al frowned. Where could he begin? Assuming she meant Amestris, he tried to come up with a description of his own home. "Oh... not bad." He explained, now thinking of Risembool. "Beautiful sun, nice parks... very nice people." Al got lost in his own memories, completely forgetting the washing up.

"Sounds nice," Noa remarked. "Better then this place anyway. But, Al, how do you feel about this situation?" the Roma girl wanted to know. She had never really heard his views on this.

"I don't know... I feel like this could be very risky, if we don't stop the uranium bomb from being made. I'm also worried for Despair. I don't know how much longer he'll have before he's found out and destroyed. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Homunculi or human, he's in a lot of pain."

At this, Marta's initial smile faded when Al spoke of there being only a matter of time before Despair was destroyed, and that not being a bad thing. She forced back a gasp and looked away from Noa and Al, her throat tightening.

Alphonse noticed Marta's reaction behind them, and began to feel somewhat nervous.

"Umm… Marta, why don't I show Alphonse to his room now?" Noa offered, trying to cut the tension.

"No thank you. I'm not that tired..." He said, staggering slightly. "I want to wait for Ed..."

Marta shook her head. Oy! This one was just as bad as his brother! Stay up 'till he dropped!. She caught Alphonse's arm as he staggered. "Sure you're not tired," she scoffed. "Come on, Al, we're practically finished here. You and Noa can get Ed and Alf...I mean Despair... and check into your rooms."

Trying hard to force a smile, even though Alphonse's words indicating that Despair would be better off destroyed for all the pain he was in were tearing at her inside, Marta watched Al and Noa exit the kitchen, then went back to putting the last few things away.

**********

Edward followed behind Despair silently, fighting the urge to tell the Homunculus the truth even more now. And while he wanted to chat to ease the silence, he was afraid something would slip so he kept his mouth sealed until they came to where Al and Noa were.

"Ed!" Al called out as he saw his brother and his duplicate's duplicate return. "What were you doing?"

Edward managed a smile as he saw his brother and shrugged. "We were just talkin'," he said lightly. His brows furrowed slightly as he saw how tired Alphonse looked. "You look exhausted, Al..."

"Yeah, I definitely feel exhausted. What about you?"

Edward nodded, yawning. "Yeah, I'm pretty wiped, too...It's been a long day..."

**********

Curses! A thousand curses on the sons of Hohenheim! This was the second time they had made themselves a hindrance when they should have cooperated with her! And how dare her newest homunculus betray her after all she had done for him? Well she would just have to teach them all a lesson! They would not rob her of the immortality she deserved a third time!

Finally, the hidden elevator she had escaped in stopped and the doors creaked open. During the first war, an underground bunker had been made beneath this mansion as protection from bombings. It now served as a useful and convenient office hideaway. Nobody even knew about this place, let alone that the bomb was kept here!

Briskly, she changed out of her ball gown and back into the day clothes she had worn earlier. No doubt the Elrics had had a run in with Huskasin in their quest to track down the bomb. He and the Thule goons under her command might just come in useful.

After seating herself down at her desk she picked up the nearby telephone and dialled the number of Huskasins' laboratory...

Meanwhile, back at Huskasins' lab, the Thule scientist had gotten out of the restraints two hours ago. Upon hearing the phone he picked it up, already knowing who it might be. "Hello?" he answered.

"Huskasin? This is Lyra," Dante replied. "What happened? I practically gift wrapped the Elric brothers for you, I made sure they would come sniffing around your laboratory so you could bring them to me and they still escape?"

"I did what you asked of me, _Fraulein_," Huskasin whined. "I showed them around the laboratory. I was about to bring them to you when they caught me off guard and tied me up." Of course, this was only a half-truth. His boss would never let him hear the end of it if she knew those boys had tricked him!.

"Did they now?" After over three hundred years of life and a collection of lovers and husbands, Dante knew when men were twisting things to save their own skins. "Well, you are fortunate the Elrics took the bait and came right to my mansion," she continued. "Of course, the fools refused to see things my way, but they can still be taught a lesson. Here is where you can redeem yourself..."

"Alright, tell me what you have planed" he replied, listening very closely on the phone.

Dante smiled to herself. It was amusing playing these opposing sides off of each other, being the master puppeteer behind both shows without either of them realizing it. In the end, the winner would not be one side, or the other, it would be _her! _

"I will make sure there will be at least five Thule soldiers to meet you outside of the mansion, you will position yourselves without being seen, but wait until I give the signal. If you do your job correctly, there should be several interesting specimens for you and the team to research."

Huskasin smiled, wanting to hear more about this. "Tell me more, _Fraulein_. What sort of specimens? What shall I be permitted to do with them?"

Dante smirked. "How would you like an actual homunculus to study? Or better yet, those two boys from my own world? With their blood, alchemy can be performed easily. All three are yours once I am finished with them and if you do as I say. Oh and there are two women as well, I believe. The Jewish girl is of no use, but the Gypsy is a psychic. Consider _her_ a bonus if you do your job properly."

Huskasins' eyes widened and his smile broadened at the thought of these amazing specimens and how much knowledge and power that could be acquired by studying and controlling them! The two boys were Thule's key to discovering and conquering this unknown parallel world, The Gypsy girl was as good as a window into the minds of the society's enemies and there was no telling what could be learned and accomplished from an actual homunculus! Perhaps Thule could even discover how to make inhuman super soldiers for the Reich once their leader was released and in control of this country! The possibilities were endless!

"Alright, what are your orders then, _Fraulein_? When does this take effect?" He inquired eagerly.

"Later tonight, but make sure you and your six men are prepared and inconspicuous," Dante instructed. "Position yourselves around the mansion and move in when you see the light from the top story window. That will be the signal. However, do not enter the room until I give the word, is that clear?"

"Consider it done" was the enthusiastic reply. "I will make sure the the Mansion is surrounded without anyone being seen or heard, and we will wait for your signal."


End file.
